Memories by Sleep
by animechick247
Summary: Lumen always knew that she was destined for greatness, but what it was, she did not know. But when the Unversed start plauging the other worlds, it's up to her to get to the bottom of this. And to find out what is happening to her beloved Terra
1. A Touch of Destiny

Chapter 1: A Touch of Destiny

**A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome to the next installment to my 'A Trail of Memories' series. This time, we go back into the past and found out why certain things have happened in the main series. Like how did Hikari acquire the keyblade or how Xemnas crew connected to Taiyouko? All shall be reveled in 'Memories by Sleep' **

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

_Destiny is never left to chance_

The Land of Departure. The birthplace of Keyblade Masters. On this world, great heroes were born and became legends across the worlds.

Heroes like Master Eraques and Master Xehanort. These two mighty warriors had fought great battles against the darkness and both came out victoriously. Both were destined for greatness and were likely to become the next leader of The Land of Departure. However, since only one could rule the world of the keyblade masters, it was hard to decide who would become the victor. Both were strong and both had powerful hearts.

However, when it came to the darkness in their hearts, Master Xehanort was the one who failed to suppress the negative feelings that were brewed within him. A true leader must have control over the darkness in their heart and must make sure their emotions won't sway their judgment.

It was because of Master Xehanort's weak heart, that he was deprived of the title of leadership and had it passed on to Master Eraques.

He showed that light would conquer evil and that the darkness held no threat over his heart. He showed compassion and the desire to protect the things that mattered.

A noble quality for a noble leader.

So it was decided that Eraques would be the new leader of the Land of Departure and that Master Xehanort would be his advisor.

This didn't settle well with Master Xehanort, so he fled for the Land of Departure, never to been seen again for quite some time.

It was hard on Eraques, who considered Xehanort as a comrade, but he didn't have time to dwindle in the past. He had a world to rule and students to teach.

But that isn't where our story begins.

It begins with the daughter of Master Eraques and how she would change the future of the worlds forever.

/

_4 years later_

It was a sad and heartbreaking moment in the Land of Departure.

Master Serenity, the wife of Master Eraques, had passed away. It was devastating loss of the ruler of the Land of Departure. Eraques had loved his wife dearly and felt as if a part of him had died as well.

Serenity was the light that filled his heart. She was his reason for living and the one who could put a smile on his face. She was his world.

She had given him so much and yet he had done nothing in return. She had given him happiness for the past five years and a beautiful, vibrant daughter.

A tear slipped down Eraques' face as he looked a picture of his wife.

He would never see her smile or hear her angelic voice. He was so lost.

But he knew that he couldn't give up hope.

He had a world to rule and a daughter to protect.

He lost his wife, but he was not going to lose his daughter.

"Fear not, Serenity" he said to himself.

"I'll protect Lumen with all my heart. I won't let our light fade away"

But it seemed that there was only so much that he could do while grieving.

He had even failed to notice that his daughter had fled the castle.

/

Tears streamed down Lumen's face as she ran from the castle.

Today was such a horrific day. She had lost her mother and now she felt that she was all alone.

Her father had gone to his room to grief, so she was left by herself.

She cried as she continued to run further from the castle. Everything about that place reminded her of her mother. She remembered how she would always run through the halls, giggling as her mother chases her, or how she would always fall asleep listening to her mother's singing. Everything about her home screamed her mother and now that she was gone, it screamed sorrow.

She fell to her knees when she reached one of the ponds that covered the land.

She always came here when she wanted to get out of the castle.

Her father always thought it was dangerous for her to come here by herself, but she didn't care at this point.

She wanted to go to the place where she felt safe.

She sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The sleeve of her dress was drenched with tears, but she didn't seem to care.

She peered over at the pond that she was sitting at and looked at her reflection.

Despite being only 4, she looked beautiful.

A heart shaped face that was covered by a veil of golden wavy hair. Dark green eyes that were as bright as a freshly cut gem. Peace color skin that felt warm to the touch.

She was the spitting image of her mother.

She sniffled a little more as she looked at herself.

She didn't see herself in the water. She saw her mother.

"Mommy" she chocked.

She curled herself up into a ball and cried into her knees.

Her mother was gone and she didn't know what to do.

She would never see her mother's smile again or hear her when she said 'I love you'.

She would never have someone who would hug her and make her feel safe, ever again.

She was lost and most of all, she was heartbroken.

She kept on crying to the point that she didn't know someone was by her until they said something.

"What's wrong?"

Lumen jumped a little and turned around to see who spoke to her.

A boy around her age stared at her with a concerned look on his face.

Lumen had to admit, he was really cute.

He had slightly tan skin that gave his body a slight glow. Dark brown hair that spike up a little at the top and flared out at the back.

And most of all, he had bluest eyes that she had ever seen. It was as if she could see the sky within his eyes.

Lumen wiped the tears from her eyes and looked away.

"W-what do you want?" she asked.

The boy tilted his head to the side slightly.

"I was wondering why you were crying" he said.

"It looked like something was wrong"

Lumen closed her eyes tightly as she thought about her mother.

How she wished that this day never happened.

"I-it's nothing" she said.

"So leave me alone"

The boy raised an eyebrow and went up to her.

"It doesn't sound like nothing" he said.

He sat down in front of her and propped an arm on his knee.

"And it's not good to leave someone alone when they're crying. It'll just make things worse"

Lumen bit her lip when she realized that the boy had a point. Besides, she didn't want to be alone right now.

She pressed her forehead against her knees.

"My mother passed away today" she said quietly.

Sorrow shone through the boys eyes.

"I'm so sorry" he said.

Lumen sniffled when she felt more tears pool her eyes.

"I miss her so much" she said.

"She always played with me when my dad was busy with things. I loved her so much and now she's gone!"

She cried softly as she shook. The reality of her mother being gone forever shook her to the core.

"She's gone and I'll never see her again" she said.

"I'm all alone"

The boy placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Don't say that" he said.

"Even if your mother's not here, she'll never be gone"

Lumen lifted her head slightly and looked up at him.

"R-really?" she asked.

The boy smiled and nodded.

"Yep" he said.

He pointed towards her heart.

"She'll always be right here. So no matter where you go, you'll always have your mother close. She'll never leave you"

Lumen placed a hand over her heart and looked with wonder. She never thought of it that way. She always figured that she would never see her mother again, because she wasn't here physically. But now she knew that she would always be with her spiritually.

She smiled a little.

True, she was still upset that her mother was gone, but at least she knew that she wasn't really gone for good.

She gave the boy a grateful smile.

"Thank you" she said.

The boy smiled in return.

"No problem"

Lumen giggled a little.

She thought that this boy was really cute.

The boy looked up at the night sky and stood up.

"Looks like it's getting late" he said.

He held his hand out to her and offered her a kind smile.

"I'll take you back to the castle. I'm sure your dad is worried about you"

Lumen gave him a grateful smile and accepted it.

"Yeah" she said.

"I'm sure he's wondering where I ran off to"

The boy nodded in understanding.

"Then let's go" he said.

They started walking before the boy suddenly stopped.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Terra" he said.

"Terra" Lumen repeated, liking the sound of it off of her tongue.

"I'm Lumen" she said.

Terra smiled.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lumen" he said.

Lumen giggled.

"Likewise"

The two of the headed back for the castle.

They would never know that fate would pull them together and have them change the face of destiny.

/

**A/N: So that's the intro to our new story. I know it seemed a little sucky, but bringing new characters in is not one of my better qualities. **

**Now you know who Lumen is. She's our new heroine of the series and it seems that she's formed a connection with Terra. **

**Where will it lead to and what will become of it?**

**The only way to find out is to review.**

**Ja ne!**


	2. An Ubreakable Connection

Chapter 2: An Unbreakable Connection

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry that it's been a while since I updated. A virus got into my computer and erased EVERYTHING from my hard drive, including Word. But as you can tell, everything is fixed and I'm able to post the next chapter!**

**I just want to thank all of you for reviewing the last chapter. I didn't expect that many reviews for the first one. It just shows that you're really excited for this story and want to see more. Hopefully, it'll be good and that you'll ask for more.**

**And I'm glad you like the little back story about Master Eraqus. I thought it would be interesting to see why he acts the way he does and how he views life. When you lose someone you really love, your perspective on life changes a little.**

**I have pictures of Lumen already done, so I'll try to post them up on my Deviantart page after I post this up. So for those of you who view the artwork, keep an eye out!**

**So, without further ado, let's get on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

_12 years later_

Lumen woke with a start as she was pulled out of a dream.

Many things had happened since that tragic day when she lost her mother. Besides the obvious fact that she was now being raised by a single parent, she dedicated herself into becoming a better keyblade master. It was always her mother's dream to see her only daughter take up the title of master, so she didn't want to disappoint her.

Even though Eraqus struggled with raising Lumen on his own, he made sure she got the best training. He lost his wife, so he didn't want to lose his daughter.

He worked her to the bone for the past 12 years, and it showed greatly.

While she wasn't very good when it came to physical attacks, she was a master at magic. She could cast spells using with and without her keyblade. Even though she wasn't as strong as her father, she was getting there.

Sighing, she ran a hand across her face. She had been sleeping after a day's long practice and she had to have it interrupted by a strange dream.

She couldn't really recall what it was about. All that she could remember was that she was standing on this white podium that was surrounded by darkness and hearing someone's voice. She couldn't remembered what the voice sounded like, but she knew that she heard someone.

"I must be working too hard" she muttered to herself.

She turned her head towards her bedroom window to look at the stars.

She remembered the stories her father used to tell her about them. About how each of those stars were actually different worlds and while they were miles apart they were always connected by the sky they shared.

She found it hard to believe that these tiny little specks of light in the night sky were actually worlds.

But she couldn't deny the fact that they were very beautiful.

She sat up when she saw a star flying across the sky. She smiled brightly when she saw another one follow after it.

That could only mean one thing.

"A meteor shower!"

It was rare to see meteor showers these days.

Not wanting to miss this, she quickly jumped out of bed and ran for the door.

She stopped when she ran past her mirror and looked at her reflection. After twelve years, she had not only changed mentally, but physically as well.

She was no longer a tiny little girl. She was a woman.

Her blonde hair grew out and became wavy as it reached her shoulders. She really wasn't picky about how her hair looked, just as long as she had a section of it tied with her favorite white ribbon.

Her outfit was the same as any resident of the Land of Departure wore.

She wore a yellow leotard like suit that had a golden sash wrapped around her waist and reached to her knees. Her arms were covered with yellow gloves that reached her elbows and connected to her middle fingers. Covering it was golden wrap that drapped out as the ends of her wrist and gave it a medival like feeling to them. Her boots reached up to her knees and had little hooks coming out as the knees. (A/N: her outfit pretty much looks like Rydia's from Final Fantasy 4. I'll have a picture of her up soon so you get a better look at her outfit).

And to top it all off, she wore the Land of Departure's emblem proudly on her chest. As a residents of this world and as the daughter of Master Eraqus, she showed that she was proud of who she was and what she stood for.

She smirked at her reflection.

"Some things never change" she said.

She quickly ran out of her room and headed for outside before the meteor shower ended.

/

Even though Eraqus hated when Lumen went out of the castle at night, she enjoyed it.

It was the only time where she could actually relax. During the day, she spent her time training and perfecting her keyblade moves. At night, she could relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility only the nighttime could provide.

She made sure that she was quiet as she ran further from the castle. If Eraqus found out that she snuck out at night to see a meteor shower again, he was going to ban her from magic practice. And if there was one thing Lumen hated, it was missing magic practice. She always felt that if she missed out on a day of training, she was getting weaker.

she quickly ran past the training grounds and headed towards the more secluded area of the castle. Here, she could sit on the benches and see the stars better.

She smiled when she found her favorite bench and quickly sat on it. Even though there were dozens of benches scattered all over the area, this one was her favorite.

Because this was the bench where she and her mother would sit when they watched the stars.

Even though her mother wasn't here anymore, Lumen made sure to preserve even the tiniest bits of her. She wanted to show that after all these years, she still loved her mother dearly.

She smiled as she got comfortable and looked up at the stars. She laughed a little whenever she saw a meteor zipping by. She would think that she would get tired of seeing them, but it always felt new to her. It seemed that whenever she looked at them, it was as if her troubles flew away with them.

Feeling tired, she stifled a yawn. It had been a long day and she was crazy to even come out this late. But she didn't regret it. She enjoyed the times where she could just relax and be herself.

She moved on the bench so that she was laying across it, rather than sitting on it. It wasn't very comfortable, but it would do for a little nap.

"If I slept out here, I would catch a cold" she muttered.

She looked at the stars as she felt her eyelids grow heavy. A little nap under the stars wouldn't hurt.

She slept for a little bit. The sound of crickets chirping were like music to her ears.

She was really enjoying her nap, but she sensed that someone was near.

Fearing that it might have been her father, she opened her eyes to see a set of familiar blue eyes.

Lumen gasped and fell off of the bench when she saw Terra hovering over her.

She groaned when she hit her tail bone. It seemed a little nap could hurt her after all.

Terra just laughed at her. Lumen shot him an annoyed look.

"Give me a break, Terra" she said.

Terra just chuckled and helped her up.

"Lumen, you hopeless sleepyhead" he said.

"You should have brought a blanket"

Lumen dusted herself off and gave him an amused look.

Ever since that day, the two of them had always been together. They had started out a very close friends, but as time went on, they started to fall in love with each other. At first, they thought it was weird because they thought that friends couldn't be in love each other, but they learned that sometimes fate always had something in mind.

They had officially been a couple for the past two years, but they had to keep their relationship a secret. If Eraqus found out that one of his students was dating his daughter, he would not only make sure they didn't become a keyblade master, he would kill them himself.

It was a comforting, yet creepy feeling for Lumen. She was glad that her father cared a lot about her, but she wished that he didn't take it too far.

Terra just gave her a lop sided smirk.

"It seems you always fall asleep at everything, even looking at a meteor shower" he teased.

Lumen blushed slightly.

Over the years, Terra turned out to be a very handsome man. His brown hair reached his shoulder and flared out in the back to a bunch of messy spikes. He even looked handsome in his outfit. But the thing that always took her breath away were his eyes. They were such a clear shade of blue, that they almost looked like sky was trapped into his eyes. Every time he smiled or said something, they seemed to sparkly.

"What can I say?" she said.

"My dad's been working me hard. With the exams coming up, he's kind of gone overboard"

Terra gave her a gentle smile as he placed his hand on her shoulder. He knew how crazy Eraqus could be when it came to training. He had him as a mentor and even he felt drained after a day's training. He couldn't even imagine what Lumen felt. Being the daughter of a keyblade master meant you had extra training.

It were times like these that he wanted to make her feel better.

And he knew just the thing.

"Ven and Aqua should be out seeing the meteor shower" he said.

"Let's go meet up with them"

Lumen's face brighten at the mention of her friends.

Terra offered his hand to her and smiled when she accepted it.

The two of them headed towards the other end of the castle, where their friends were surely to be.

/

If there were two people that Lumen cared about more than anyone else on this world, it would have to be Aqua and Ven. They were the two greatest friends that anyone could ever ask for.

Aqua had been Lumen's best friend since they were little. They were both experts with magic and tended to always trick Terra and Ven whenever they fought together. They were always protective of each other and were willing to help each other if they were ever in trouble.

Ven was like the little brother that Lumen never had. Even though he couldn't remember his past, he didn't let that bother him. He was always seen with a smile on his face and it tended to be contagious. Lumen was always protective of him since he was the youngest and made sure his needs were tended to before hers. She also found it funny how Ven idolized Terra so much. They were best friends, but they tended to be rivals when it came to fighting.

They four of them were an interesting group, but a fun group none the less.

When Lumen got closer to where her two friends were, she could hear Ven asking Aqua something.

"Hey, Aqua. Y'ever wonder what stars are?" he asked.

"Where light comes from?"

Aqua smirked at Ven's curiosity.

"Hmm….well, they say-"

"That every star up there is a different world" Terra finished.

Aqua and Ven turned around and smiled when they saw him and Lumen.

"Terra, Lumen" Aqua said.

Lumen smiled and waved to them.

"It's hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own" she said.

"The light is their hearts, and it's shinning down on us like a million lanterns"

She went over to them and sat besides Aqua.

Ven looked confused.

"What? I don't get it" he said.

Terra smirked.

"In other words, they're just like you, Ven" he joked.

Ven glared at him.

"What does THAT mean?"

Terra chuckled a little.

"You'll find out someday" he said.

"I'm sure"

"I wanna know now" Ven pouted.

"You're too young to know now" Terra said.

"Quit treating me like a kid!"

Lumen and Aqua just laughed at the scene. It was so funny to see the two of them bickering like they were siblings.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Terra asked.

Lumen just smirked at her boyfriend.

"I can't help it" she said.

"You two make the weirdest brothers"

Aqua wiped a tear from her eyes from laughing.

"Yeah, it's just so funny to see the two of you bickering like that" she added.

Terra and Ven made a face before they joined in on the laughing.

/

After the laugher died down, the four of them sat near the ledge and watched the stars. This was something that they always did at the end of a long day. Even if they were always busy with training, they always made sure to make time for each other.

Aqua's faced lit up as she thought of something.

"Oh yeah!"

She looked at Terra.

"Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow"

Lumen smiled brightly at that.

Her father had been training Terra and Aqua very hard for these exams. She had been training hard as well, but she wasn't planning on taking the exams. She was strong, even if she didn't have the title as a master. It was just a name and nothing else. Her skills and knowledge were much more valuable than just a stupid name.

But she knew better than to say this in front of her friends. After training for years to get to this point, she wasn't going to ruin it for them.

Aqua stood up and pulled something from her back pocket.

"I made us good luck charms" she said.

She held up four charms that were shaped like stars. They were all in different colors and had their badge symbol in the center.

Aqua handed Terra an orange one and Ven a green one.

Lumen smiled when she got a yellow one. She thought it was sweet that her best friend made a charm for even Ven and herself, even though they weren't taking the exams.

"Wow, Aqua. These are so pretty" she said.

"You really have a talent for this"

Aqua smiled as she held up her blue charm.

"I made one for each of us" she said.

She looked up at the night sky.

"Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit…" she said.

"and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other"

Lumen looked at her charm in amazement.

"Wow, that's a pretty powerful bond" she said.

Aqua chuckled a little.

"Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had" she said.

Lumen waved it off.

"Don't worry about it" she said.

"It's not about what it's made from, but rather the purpose it was created for"

Terra rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes you both act like girls" he said.

Aqua glared at him.

"Hey! What you do mean by 'sometimes'?" she asked.

Ven looked at his charm sadly.

"So you mean this isn't a real good luck charm?" he asked.

Aqua shrugged.

"Well, that's yet to be seen" she said.

"But I did work a little magic on it"

Ven looked surprised.

"Really? What?"

Aqua smiled and held up her charm.

"An unbreakable connection" she said.

Lumen laughed and held up her own charm.

"Probably the best kind of magic" she said.

The four of them held their charms in their hands and felt the magic flow through them.

/

After staying up for a while longer, Terra stifled a yawn.

"I think it's time to head back" he said.

Lumen nodded when she felt her eyes grow heavy. She never expected to stay up this late, but she didn't mind. As long as she was having fun with her friends.

Aqua helped Ven when he started falling asleep. It just proved how young he really was.

Terra held Lumen's hand when he saw her stifle a yawn.

"Come on, sleepy head. Let's go back inside" he said.

Lumen smiled tiredly as she rest her head against his shoulder. She always felt safe and sound whenever she was near him.

As they headed back to the castle, she gripped Aqua's lucky charm. She could feel the bond she shared with her friends from it.

"_Together…always" _she thought.

She hoped that everyday would always end like this. Being able to watch the stars with her friends and just having a good time.

Yet it seemed that fate had plans that would pull them apart forever.

Because this night would be the last night that she ever shared with her friends.

_That would be the last night we ever spent beneath the same stars._

_/_

**A/N: And there you go! The first chapter to the actual story is up! What lies ahead for Lumen and her friends? And what dangers will tear them apart? **

**You'll just have to review and find out!**

**Ja ne!**


	3. The Mark of Mastery

Chapter 3: The Mark of Mastery

**A/N: The moment has arrived! Terra and Aqua must fight to gain the title of master! Who will win and who will be known as master? Only you can find out!**

**S.O.S!**

**I have a very, very, very huge request to ask of you my dear readers! I just started working on a Bleach/Final Fantasy X crossover story and I need people to review it so I can improve this story. This was my very first fanfiction idea and I've finally been able to post it up. If you could be so kind as to read it and review on the chapters, that will help me out greatly. **

**Plus, if you do review, then I'll update the next chapter to this story A.S.A.P! So if you help me, I'll reward you all greatly.**

**Please help me!**

**Also, I posted up the artwork for this series on my Deivantart page. So if you want to look at them, just go to my homepage here and you'll see them.**

**Anyway, with that aside, let's get on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

_Darkness was the only thing Lumen could see. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but darkness. There wasn't even the slightest bit of light. _

_The only thing that stood out in this empty realm was the pure white podium that she was standing on._

_She looked around to see where she was, but she came up with nothing._

"_Where am I?" she said._

_She looked around to see if she could find anyone._

"_Terra?...Aqua?...Ven?..." she called out._

_She desperately searched for her friends in the empty realm that she was brought to._

"_Where are you?" she called out._

_When she didn't get an answer, she hugged herself in fear. She didn't know how she wound up here, but she didn't like it._

"_What is this place?" she wondered._

"_I want to go home!"_

_Just then, words started to form on the podium that she was on. She jumped back when she saw gold letters glow around the edge of the disk. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it one bit._

_She steadied her nerves when the words formed and filled up the circle. She thought that she would be given some kind of clue, but instead she found only a riddle._

_One heart fulfills all hearts._

_All hearts lead to the same heart._

"_What does this mean?" she asked herself._

"_Is it one heart fulfills all hearts, or all hearts fulfill the same?"_

_Another riddle formed underneath the first one._

_In order to link everything together, the chains must be broken._

_However, to make the chain whole, you must gather all the pieces._

_A broken chain, ,makes a whole chain._

"_This doesn't help either" she said._

_She looked up at the sky, thinking it would give her the answers._

"_What does this mean?" she called out._

"_Give me a sign!"_

_The podium started to crack underneath her feet as if it were made out of glass. And like glass, the ground beneath her shattered to a million pieces._

_Lumen screamed when she started to fall. She tried to reach out for anything, but she was just given air._

_She was going to fall to her death and there was nothing here that could save her._

"_Somebody help me!" she cried._

_Another riddle suddenly flashed through her head._

_You are the chain that will link everything back together again._

_Lumen closed her eyes. The darkness was surrounding her and clouded her senses. The only thing she knew was that she was falling to her death and kept having bizarre riddles flash through her head._

_She fell deeper and deeper within the darkness._

_No one would be able to reach her now._

_At least, that's what she thought._

_Just before she lost consciousness, she heard someone's voice deep within her head._

"_**Hey…can you hear me?"**_

/

Lumen gasped when she woke up. She took a few minutes to catch her breath and look at her surroundings. She found herself back in her room and sleeping on her bed.

She sighed as she covered her face with her arm.

"It was just a dream" she said.

She groaned.

It was that same dream.

For about a week, she had been the same dream where she was standing on this podium that gave our riddles and hearing someone's voice as she fell through the darkness.

She removed her arm and looked up at the ceiling.

"I wonder who that was?" she thought.

"I couldn't recognize the voice…and yet…I felt like I've known that voice all my life. This is too weird. How can I know a person's voice when I don't even know who it belongs to?"

She shook her head. Every time she pondered over the dream, she just came up empty handed and confused. Even the riddles from her dream didn't make sense.

"What could they possibly mean?" she wondered.

"How do broken chains make a whole one? And how do hearts fulfill one heart? None of them seem to connect with each other, but they always appear together"

She sighed.

There was no point trying to figure this out. No matter how many times she ran in through her head, she always came up empty handed.

She looked out her window to see the sun shining through.

It was finally morning.

And that meant…

"The exams!"

She shot out of her bed and quickly got dressed.

Today was the day where Terra and Aqua would test to see if they were worthy of becoming masters. They had worked so hard to get to this point, and now they finally were. To become a keyblade master was their dream.

Lumen smiled slightly to herself as she fixed her hair.

Even though she didn't want to become a keyblade master, she always supported her friend's dreams. They wanted to be just like her father with the hopes of becoming such an idealistic leader.

When she found herself presentable enough, she quickly headed towards the exam room. There was no way that she was going to miss her boyfriend and best friend earning their titles as masters. She didn't know they would even earn the title of master, but she can only hope.

"_They worked so hard to get to this point" _she thought.

"_It would break my heart to see their dreams go down the drain like this"_

She prayed that her father would have a compassionate heart.

"Please go easy on them" she said to herself.

She quickly headed for the exam room before it was too late.

/

Everyone was present when the exams started.

Terra and Aqua stood proudly in the center of the room, waiting for their exam to start. They had spent years reaching for this moment and now it was finally here. Now, they could finally show their master what they were capable of.

Ven was able to come to the exam, even though he wasn't taking it. After pleading and begging, Eraqus finally gave in and let the boy watch his friends compete. He stood off to the sides, standing still as if even the slightest twitch would ruin everything.

Lumen giggled from her seat. Since she was Eraqus' daughter, that meant she had to sit up near the thrones that only the masters could sit. She had told her father many times that she didn't want to be a keyblade master, but Eraqus made the excuse by saying since she was his daughter, she had to sit up by the seats. That…and because he tended to be over protective of her. After becoming a single parent, even the tiniest things set him off. Like if Lumen wasn't next to him when they were in the same room, then something bad would happen to her. Lumen was grateful that her father loved her so much, but it tended to get annoying. That was why she couldn't tell him that she had been secretly dating Terra for nearly over a year now. If he found out, he would kill her boyfriend before he even became a master.

She sat properly when her father stood up to address his two students.

It was finally time.

Eraqus looked at his two young pupils proudly. He never expected two of his students to come this far. It did him well that he actually did something good in his life. This wasn't just a special moment for Terra and Aqua. It was a special moment for him as well.

"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery" he said.

"Not one but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates…but this is neither a competition, nor a battle for supremacy-not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither. But I assure you our guest, Master Xehanort…did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark"

Lumen looked at Master Xehanort out of the corner of her eye. She had heard a lot about him through her father. They used to be friends back when they were younger. Like her father, he was a very skilled Keyblade master. However, she couldn't help to suppress the chills that ran up her spine as she looked at him. Everything about him simply screamed danger. Even that dark smile he gave made her want to run for cover. It almost seemed like if she stayed in the same room as him for too long, something bad was going to happen.

When she saw Xehanort turned his head to look at her, she quickly looked away. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction that he scared her. This was supposed to be a very important moment for Terra and Aqua. She wasn't going to let her fears cloud this day.

"I trust you are ready?" Eraqus asked his students.

Terra and Aqua nodded.

"Yes"

Lumen smiled and mouthed 'good luck' to them. Aqua smirked while Terra winked at her.

Eraqus didn't seem to notice the little gesture and continued on. He summoned up his keyblade and held it in front of him.

"Then let the examination begin" he declared.

He brought forth a set of light spheres for Terra and Aqua to destroy. The two pupils summoned their keyblades and faced the spheres.

Little did anyone know, Master Xehanort used some sort of spell and tampered the spheres, coating them with darkness.

Everyone panicked when they saw this. Eraqus didn't know what to make of this. Luckily, Terra and Aqua didn't hesitate and quickly spring to action. They didn't care that they were currently taking their exam. They just wanted to get these spheres out of here before they harmed someone.

One of the spheres got away and started heading towards Ven.

Lumen panicked and quickly ran out of her see, summoning her keyblade along the way.

"Lumen!" Eraqus cried.

Lumen ignored her father and quickly destroyed the sphere before it could hit Ven. Ven gave her a grateful smile as he pulled out his keyblade as well.

Terra and Aqua looked over at them while they faced off the spheres.

"Don't worry about us" Ven said.

"Just focus on the exam" Lumen added.

"But you're in danger here" Aqua insisted.

"Go wait in your room, Ven"

Ven blushed a little when Aqua showed that she was concerned about him. Lumen had to repress a smirk. She knew that he had such a huge crush on Aqua, but didn't want to show it, in case it ruined their friendship.

"No way!" he said.

"I've been looking forward to this-seeing you two become Masters. I'm not going to miss it now!"

Lumen smirked.

"Yeah. And there's no way that I'm going to let you two fight these things on your own" she said.

"What kind of friend would I be then?"

Terra smirked at her.

"They can take care of themselves" he said.

"Ven's been out there training just as hard as us. And Lumen's is Master Eraqus' daughter. There's no way she would let herself become weak"

Aqua sighed when she realized she wasn't going to win this argument.

"Stay sharp"

The four of them quickly laughed into the battle.

While they were all pretty strong, each of them skilled in certain talents. Terra was known for his brute strength and was able to crush his enemies with his powerful swings. Aqua was agile and skilled with black magic. Ven was fast and could easily land rapid attacks to his enemies. Lumen was skilled with defensive and healing magic, so she could block her enemies attacks with ease.

While fighting alone, they had many flaws, but together, they were unstoppable.

Lumen flipped through the air and swung her keyblade at one of the spheres. She highly doubted that this was part of her father's exam, considering that he would never use the darkness.

When a sphere snuck up behind her, she quickly blocked it and used one of her signature moves. Gathering light into her hands, she created chains and had it wrap around the dark sphere. She closed her hand in a crushing motion and was satisfied to see the sphere crumple to dust.

Eraqus paled when he saw that move while Master Xehanort smirked darkly.

Lumen kept using her special trick on the remaining spheres until they were all gone.

Eraqus quickly went to his daughter and made sure she was alright. Lumen sighed as her father checked over her. Whenever he went into his mother hen mode, she had no choice but to just stand there and let him check to see that she was alright before she could do anything else.

Terra and Ven snickered while Aqua smirked apologetically. They always found it funny when their master acted this way.

When Eraqus was sure that his daughter was alright, he gave her a stern look.

"Lumen, I thought I told you to never use that spell" he said.

Lumen flinched slightly and looked like she got caught sneaking into the cookie jar. She knew her father restricted her from using her spells, but she just couldn't help it.

She laughed nervously under her father's strict gave.

"Um, well, I just thought it would be useful for this" she said.

Eraqus crossed his arms over his chest.

"What have I told you about using that spell?"

Lumen's shoulders slumped. She was getting lectured like she was five again.

"To never use it unless I'm in serious danger" she said.

"But, if you think about it, I probably could have been in danger! I mean, you didn't know what was going on with those spheres. And if I just kept them floating around the place, it could have gotten worse"

Eraqus just continued to glare at her.

Lumen sighed and hung her head.

"Sorry, father"

Eraqus's face soften a bit. He always hated acting like the strict parent, but that was the only way Lumen could learn from her mistakes.

"Just promise me that you won't act reckless again" he said.

Lumen smiled weakly and nodded.

"I promise"

Eraqus smiled.

"Very well then. I guess I can let you off today, but don't make it a habit"

Lumen shook her head, showing that she wouldn't.

"Then why don't you go sit down? We still have the exams to finish"

Lumen nodded and gave her father a gentle smile before heading towards her seat.

Ven snickered as she walked towards them.

"You got in trouble" he said in a sing song voice.

Lumen glared at him and whacked him upside the head.

"Shut it" she said.

Aqua chuckled when Ven rubbed his head and pouted.

"You deserved it" Terra said.

Lumen went into her seat and watched as her father put everything back in order.

"That was unexpected…" he said.

"But one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold. Which brings us to your next trial"

Terra and Aqua went into the center of the room and faced each other.

The second task would be to see how well they fought with each other. A true Keyblade Master must be able to face against any opponent. Even their comrades.

"Remember, there are no winners-only truths" Eraqus said.

" For when equal powers clash, their true nature is revealed"

With that, the two of them fought.

Lumen watched with fascination as the two of them fought. They were so skilled and had such control over their movements that it almost seemed as if they were performing a deadly dance together.

She saw Terra hesitate for a moment before dodging Aqua's attack. She didn't know what brought this up, but she figured that Terra was just distracted by something. She didn't even notice the darkness surrounding his hand since he dismissed it right away.

But Eraqus and Xehanort knew. And it would reflect the outcomes of Terra's future.

/

After the exams were finished, Terra and Aqua stood before Eraqus. They had fought their hardest and now they were going to see if they were skilled enough to gain the title of Master.

Eraqus looked at his students. He had finally decided who was able to become a Keyblade Master. He felt that he made the right choice, but his heart told him that he didn't. Even so, he would go with what his head was telling him and let it continue on from there.

Lumen bit her lip nervously when she saw the look her father was giving them. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she just hoped that it was good.

"_Please let them pass. Please, please, please" _she thought.

Eraqus cleared his throat to get their attention.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision" he said.

Terra and Aqua stood straighter; waiting for the results that they wished to hear.

"Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably" Eraqus said.

"However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery"

Lumen quietly gasped when she saw the hurt look on Terra's face. She was thrilled that Aqua was now a Master, but she had hoped that Terra would become one as well. He worked so hard to get into these exams, and now they just went down the drain.

What in the world was her father thinking?

Eraqus gave Terra a stern look.

"Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check" he said.

"But there is always next time. That is all"

He turned to Aqua.

"Aqua, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions"

Lumen knew what her father was going to talk about. Even though she wasn't a Keyblade Master, she knew everything about the duties that a Master held. Since she was the future heir to this world, she had to know everything.

When Master Xehanort and Eraqus left, Lumen quickly went over to where Terra and Aqua were.

She gave Aqua a weak, yet proud smile. She was happy that her best friend became a Master. She worked very hard for this and now it paid off.

"Congratulations, Aqua" she said.

Aqua gave her a weak smile in return. She felt just as bad about being the only one to pass as Lumen felt.

She looked at Terra, to see his head bowed down.

"Hey…" she said.

Ven ran over to them and gave his best friend a sad look.

"Terra, I'm sorry" he said.

Terra just stared at the floor some more.

"The darkness…where did it come from?" he muttered.

Lumen looked up at her boyfriend sadly.

She felt so awful. Terra had worked so hard to get this far, only to have her father crush it. It almost made it seem like it was her fault since Eraqus was her father.

"Terra…" she said.

Terra shook his head and walked away.

"Sorry…I need some time alone"

His friends watched him sadly as he left the room.

Lumen sighed sadly.

"I can't believe this happened" she said.

She quickly looked at Aqua, fearing that she might have hurt her feelings.

"But, I'm not saying that what happened is a bad thing!" she blurted.

"I mean, I'm so happy and proud that you became a Master, Aqua. I know you worked so hard to get here. It's just…I hoped that both you and Terra would pass the exam"

Aqua gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's ok, I get what you're saying" she said.

"I hoped that Terra would have passed too. But I guess Master Eraqus thought differently"

Lumen sighed sadly.

"I feel like this is all my fault"

"How is it your fault?" Ven asked.

"You didn't do anything"

Lumen closed her eyes sadly.

"True, but y father is his teacher. I feel like it's my fault because my father failed him. Everything that he does, I feel responsible. I know his intentions were good, but I just feel bad. Now I'm sure Terra will be mad at me"

Aqua put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.

"Terra tends to act out, but he would never be mad at you over something like this" she said.

"Why don't you go and cheer him up? You're the only person who can easily put a smile on his face"

Lumen smiled at her friend. She did have a point. Terra tended to smile more whenever she was around. Maybe she could pull him out of this depressive state.

"I think I will" she said.

She bid her friends goodbye and ran out of the room.

She had a boyfriend to cheer up and she wouldn't be able to do it by just standing around.

/

**A/N: Poor Terra, he wasn't able to become a Master. Hopefully Lumen will cheer him up. **

**So many strange things have happened here today. Lumen has a special power that intrigues Master Xehanort while it causes fear for Master Eraqus. What exactly is this power and why does it catch the attention of such two powerful Key blade Masters?**

**Plus, what do those riddles mean from Lumen's dream? Who was that voice she heard at the end?**

**The only way to find out is to review!**

**Ja ne!**


	4. Something wicked this way comes

Chapter 4: Something Wicked this way comes

**A/N: Hey everyone! Since I finally figured out what to write for this chapter, I've decided to post it up! **

**Now that the exams are over (poor Terra) the really good stuff starts to happen. What will happen to our four heroes and how will they deal with the darkness that looms over them?**

**The only way to find out is to read the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen ran through the hallways of the castle. She didn't know where Terra was, but she wasn't going to stop until she found him.

She was really worried about him. She felt so horrible that he didn't pass the exams. She knew that what happened wasn't his fault, but it paid him greatly.

She just wanted to let him know that she was still proud of him for even getting this far and to keep on trying.

"Terra, where are you?" she muttered.

As she rounded a corner, she almost ran into someone at the last minute. She quickly skidded to a halt before she could crash into the person.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going" she said.

She paled when she saw Master Xehanort standing in front of him.

The keyblade master looked at her with that creepy grin on his face and his hands crossed behind his back.

Lumen felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she looked at him. She almost felt like a mouse that was cornered by a very hungry cat.

Master Xehanort chuckled, causing Lumen to chill.

"You seem like you're awfully in a hurry" he stated.

Lumen gulped her nerves and managed to nod.

"I-I was just going to check up on my friend, Terra" she said.

"I just wanted to make sure he was alright for not passing the exams"

Master Xehanort nodded slowly.

"It's such a shame really" he said.

"The boy has incredible talent. I don't understand why your father wouldn't let him pass"

Lumen's eyes harden when she sensed that her father was being insulted.

True, she wished that her father didn't fail Terra, but she knew that he had his reasons. He wouldn't fail him because he felt like it.

"I'm sure my father had very good reasons to why he didn't let Terra passed" she said.

"Just like I'm sure you had your reasons for letting Aqua pass"

Master Xehanort looked at her for a moment before he chuckled a little.

"You have your father's knowledge" he said.

"However…"

He reached out a hand and gripped her chip.

"You look exactly like your mother"

Lumen gulped. She always hated it when people brought up about her mother. And since this scary man was bring her up, she felt her nerves snap.

Master Xehanort studied her features a bit more.

"You look just like Serenity did when she was your age" he said.

"She was not only beautiful, but smart and clever"

Lumen's eyes grew hard.

"Thank you" she hissed.

She really didn't like where this was going.

Master Xehanort sighed dramatically.

"It was such a tragedy when she passed away" he said.

"No one had ever expected someone so strong to leave us so soon. I'm sure your father was devastated"

He used his finger to bring her chin up so she was looking into his eyes.

"Let's just hope that you won't suffer the same fate as she did" he said.

"I'm sure it would break your father's heart"

Lumen snapped and slapped his hand away. She glared at him when he gave her a taunting smirk. How dare he talk about her mother's death so casually? And he even had the nerves to include her into it.

"I can assure you that it won't happen" she hissed.

Master Xehanort chuckled.

"Let's hope not" he said.

"It would be such a shame to loss such a powerful girl like yourself"

Lumen growled and stormed off.

She knew that if she stayed there any longer, she would have slugged him in the face.

"Talking about me as if I'm some kind of tool" she snapped.

"How dare he? He may be a master, but he will never earn my respect. Not when he's talking down to people like that"

As she stormed off, she didn't see the dark smirk that appeared on Master Xehanort's face.

"Yes, it would be such a shame if anything happened to you" he said.

"Especially with the power that you hold deep within your heart"

/

Terra sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He felt like such a fool. He worked so hard to get into these exams, only to fail miserably. He was happy for Aqua, he wouldn't deny that. But he had hoped that he would pass as well.

He had everything all planned out in his head. He thought he was going to pass and then tell Lumen something very important.

He could still remember the look on her face when he talked to her earlier this morning.

/

_Terra was all nerves as he stood in front of the Exam room. He got up really early so he could practice everything that he needed to go over for today. _

_Today was the day that he would test to become a keyblade Master. It was his childhood dream and now it was finally coming true. _

_All he had to do was impress his master and get the title. Simple as that. But if only he wasn't a nervous wreck. True, he was nervous about the exam, but there was something else on his mind. Something more important than becoming a keybalde master._

_He put his hand into his pants pocket and touched the object that he kept hidden there. _

_He had something that he wanted to give to Lumen when the exams were over and he just hoped that everything went according to plan. _

_As soon as he passed the exams, then he would ask the most important question any man would ask to the woman that they loved most._

_He sighed wearily when he realized that he was overreacting for nothing. The exam hadn't started yet and he was here all by himself. There was no reason to panic._

"_But what if she says no?" he asked himself._

"_Says no to what?" _

_Terra jumped and turned around to see Lumen standing before him. It looked like she ran here the whole way since her hair was a little messy and her cheeks were rosy from running. She must have thought that she was running late since she never ran for anything. _

_Lumen looked at her boyfriend. She was surprised that she was able to scare him so easily. It was hard to scare Terra or sneak up on him. He always knew if someone was behind him. _

_Terra gulped as he rubbed the back of his neck._

"_Oh, it's, uh, nothing" he said._

_Lumen tilted her head to the side._

"_It doesn't seem like nothing if your rubbing your neck like that" she said._

"_You never do that unless you're nervous about something"_

_Terra cringed when he realized that he was caught. Sometimes he wished that his girlfriend wasn't so observant. But he couldn't blame her. She was Master Eraqus's daughter, so she had to be alterative to everything._

_Swallowing his nerves he looked at his girlfriend calmly. He didn't want her to suspect anything, so the best thing was to remain calm._

"_A-actually, there was something that I wanted to ask you" he said._

_Lumen blinked in surprise._

"_What is it?" she asked._

_Terra cleared his throat._

"_Well, I…can't really ask you now" he said._

"_It'll have to wait until after the exams"_

_He could tell how confused she was, but he was glad that she didn't push further._

"_Alright, then" she said smiling._

"_Whatever it is, I'm sure it's very important"_

_Terra laughed a little._

"_You have no idea" he said._

_Lumen giggled and went up to him. _

"_Well, in any case, I hope you do well in these exams" she said._

_She went up to him and kissed him on the cheek._

"_A kiss for good luck"_

_She winked at him._

"_You're gonna need it"_

_Terra smiled at her. Even the little things she did always warmed his heart._

"_I won't need any, but thanks" he said._

_Just then, the doors to the exam room opened._

"_Looks like it's time to start" Lumen said._

_Terra nodded and went through the doors. _

_Lumen waved to him as he walked off._

"_Good luck, Terra!" she cried._

"_And don't forget about wanting to ask me something"_

_Terra laughed at her._

"_Don't worry, I won't" he said._

"_Because when I win these exams, I'll be bragging about it to you. You'll see"_

_Lumen laughed at that._

"_I'll hold you to it" she said._

/

Terra groaned. That's what he got for being over confident.

He pulled out the item that was in his pocket and held up a small box. He sadly looked at it when he realized he wouldn't be able to ask Lumen then thing from before. He wanted to pass the exams when he did. If he did it now, he would look like a total idiot.

"As if she would agree to be with a failure like me" he said.

He sighed and put the box away.

He was so frustrated with himself.

"_There's darkness within me" _he thought.

"_So what does that matter?"_

"I know I'm strong enough to hold it back" he said to himself.

"Yes"

Terra jumped and looked to see Master Xehanort walking down the castle steps. The keyblade master wore his susual creepy grin on his face.

"You are indeed strong" he said.

"The darkness is nothing to fear"

Terra bowed respectfully.

"Master Xehanort" he said.

Master Xehanort nodded his head slightly when he faced him.

"And yet…how frustrating that Eraqus refuses its power" he said.

"Why, you could train with him forever, and still you would never be a master in his eyes"

Terra ground his teeth in frustration at that. Did that mean no matter how hard he tried, he would never become a Kyeblade Master?

"But why?" he cried.

"Help me understand, Master Xehanort. What is it that I failed to learn?"

Master Xehanort just chuckled as he started to walk away.

"You're find as you are" he said.

Terra looked surprised at that. He thought the darkness in his heart was a bad thing, but Master Xehanort said it was ok.

Master Xehanort stopped and looked at him over his shoulder.

"Darkness cannot be destroyed-it can only be channeled" he explained.

With that, he walked off.

Terra bowed respectfully to him.

"Of course" he said.

"Thank you, Master Xehanort"

With that, the keyblade Master left.

Terra sat back on the steps and pondered over what Xehanort said. If he couldn't destroy the darkness within his heart, then he would just have to learn how to control it. Maybe then he would have a chance at passing the exam again.

"_And maybe then I can ask Lumen about what I wanted to say to her" _he thought.

A pair of arms wrapped around him and engulfed him into a hug.

Terra smirked when he felt someone press their head against his and snuggle closely. He didn't have to see who it was that was holding him. Only one person would hug him like this.

Lumen smiled softly when Terra placed his hand over hers.

"I'm so sorry about what happened" she said.

Terra's smirk dimmed a little, but he tried to keep a positive face for her. He figured she would feel horrible about the exam since it was her father that failed him.

"It wasn't your fault" he said.

"You didn't know what your father was thinking"

Lumen buried her face in the nape of his neck.

"True, but it doesn't help that I feel bad about it"

She lifted her head a little so she could look at him better.

"Do you think he's found out about us?" she asked.

"Could that be why he didn't pass you?"

Terra gave out a dry laugh.

"If he found out about us, then I would be six feet in the ground" he said.

"And he would have made it known that he knew about us"

Lumen sighed and pressed her cheek against his.

"I'll go talk to my father and see if he'll give you another chance" she said.

Terra sighed.

He knew that she would say that. Ever since they became a couple, she always offered to have her father give him extra training or anything of that nature. It was thoughtful, but not needed. If Aqua and Ven had to work to get where they were, then so would he.

"You don't have to do that" he said.

"It's not a big deal"

"Yes it is!" Lumen insisted.

She stood up and went down a few steps so she could face him.

"It is a big deal. It's big to me" she said.

"You've been dreaming about becoming a keyblade Master since we were children. You've worked so hard to even get into these exams. Becoming a keyblade Master means everything to you! And the fact that my father failed you just makes me horrible. I feel like it's my fault and I want to fix it. I don't want your dreams to be shattered all because of my father"

She bowed her head as she gripped her arm.

"I just want to see you happy and living your dream" she said quietly.

Terra looked at her for a moment before smiling softly.

"Come here" he said.

He pulled her close to him and held her tightly.

"Being a keyblade Master is my dream, but it doesn't mean everything to me" he said.

"I have other things that I care about that are far more important than that"

Lumen looked up at him.

"Or really? Like what?" she asked.

Terra was quiet for a moment.

"You" he finally said.

Lumen looked stunned at his response.

Terra looked at her.

"I just want to protect you and make you happy" he said.

"And the only way I can make that happen is to become a keyblade Master"

Lumen was touched. He wanted to become a keybalde master just so he could protect her. Like how her father did the same thing for her mother.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Terra" she said.

"I don't need a keyblade master to protect me or make me happy. All I need is you. As long as I have you by my side, then I don't need anything else"

Terra looked at how serious and sincere was about her answer. He had thought that she would want a keyblade Master by her side, but all she wanted was him. Even if he failed the exam again, she just wanted him.

He remembered the little box that he had in his pocket and thought that maybe now would be a good time to ask her the question he had been wanting to tell her. He wanted to wait until he passed the exam, but she just proved that she loved him regardless.

"Lumen…there's something that I wanted to ask you" he said.

Lumen blinked at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Terra steadied his nerves as he looked at her. She looked so oblivious to what he was going to say. He couldn't wait to see her reaction.

He stood up and pulled her up with him. He gripped her hands tightly.

"I wanted to ask you this when I passed the exams, but I think now is a good time" he said.

"You know I love you more than anyone else, right?"

Lumen slowly nodded, not knowing where her boyfriend was going with this.

"Yes, and I love you more than anyone else, too" she said.

Terra nodded as he gulped.

"You're the only woman that I ever loved and ever need" he said.

"I just can't picture my life without you in it"

He looked her straight in the eye and recited what he was going to say.

"Lumen, will you-"

The bells to the palace suddenly went off. The two of them quickly looked up at the castle in alarm. The bells never went off unless something bad had happened.

"Something's wrong" Lumen said.

The two of them quickly ran back into the castle to see what was going on.

Terra mentally cursed himself. He was so close to asking her and now this happened.

"_Today is not my lucky day" _he thought.

/

Aqua was already in the room when they arrived.

"What's going on?" Lumen asked.

Aqua shook her head.

"No idea" she said.

Lumen looked towards her father, who was in the middle of talking to someone through a magic mirror.

"_This is bad" _she thought.

"_Father never talks to anyone outside our world"_

When Eraqus finished talking, he approached his pupils and daughter.

"That was my dear old friend, Yen Sid" he explained.

Lumen remembered hearing about Yen Sid. He used to be a Keyblade Master a long time ago and fought alongside his father. She always enjoyed hearing about him and dreamed about meeting him one day.

"He is master no more, but he still keeps a close eye on the tides of light and darkness" Eraqus said.

"His council serves and signposts, on the road that we keyblade wielders must walk. All the more reason for concern. For he tells me that the princesses of heart are in danger. Not only from the forces of darkness, as you may assume, but from a new threat, one that feeds from negativity. Negative emotions that have taken on monstrous forms. Yen Sid calls them the 'unversed'"

Lumen gulped. She had a bad feeling about these creatures.

Eraqus looked at his pupils and daughter seriously.

"As wielders of the keyblade, you are tasked with striking down anything that has upset the balance between light and darkness" he said.

"The Unversed are no exception. I tried to pass this news onto Master Xehanort, but my repeated attempts to reach him have failed. I doubt there is any trouble with the connection, but it all troubles me"

Terra looked at the ground. He had seen Master Xehanort earlier. He thought that maybe he was walking around the castle some more, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Master Xehanort…is gone?" he asked.

Eraqus nodded.

"So here we are" he said.

"I need you to get this situation under control. Eliminate the Unversed. And find Master Xehanort. I have unlocked the lanes in between. You may use these forbidden pathways to travel between this world and countless others. The darkness looms closer than usual within these spaces but your armor will protect you. Remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone that there are different worlds"

Lumen was surprised. Her father was letting her friends and herself go to other worlds? He wanted her to complete this task?

"_Father" _she thought.

Eraqus was always hesitant about having his daughter travel to different worlds. He claimed that it was too dangerous for her and that she was better of here. But it seemed that he decided to let her grow up. Or because he had no choice.

Eraqus nodded to them.

"Now go and fulfill your duty"

The three of them nodded.

"Yes"

Terra was just about to leave before Eraqus stopped him.

"Terra, consider this as an opportunity, a second chance to change my mind" he said.

Terra looked shocked.

"What?" he asked.

Eraqus walked up to him.

"You must know that I care for you like my own son" he said.

"if I could have my way, I would name you master in a second"

Terra gulped. He was flattered by the statement, but it just seemed so wrong. He was secretly dating his daughter for crying out loud.

"But how can I when you are so obsessed with power?" Eraqus asked.

Terra hung his head in shame.

"Terra, you mustn't be afraid of losing" Eraqus said.

"Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness. You must never forget"

Terra looked at him before bowing.

He was grateful that he was getting a second chance to become a master. He didn't want to mess this up.

"Thank you, mater" he said.

"I swear that I will not fail you again"

Lumen smiled brightly.

She should have known that her father wouldn't be so hard on his pupils. He really did have a soft spot after all.

Terra quickly went off so he could prove to his master that he was capable of becoming a master.

Lumen was about to follow him, but her father stopped her.

"Just a moment, Lumen" Eraqus said.

Lumen cringed, thinking that her father changed his mind about her going on this mission.

She slowly turned towards him and faced him.

"Yes, father?" she asked.

Eraqus had a torn look on his face.

"You know that I really don't want you to do this" he said.

"The outside world is very dangerous"

Lumen nodded.

She understood where this was going. After her mother passed away, Eraqus was very protective of her. He never left her out of his sight when she was little and he made sure she would do anything dangerous. Heck, he even wouldn't let her go on the swings as a child, fearing that she would fall off and break her arm or something.

But she didn't mind. She understood why her father was like this, and it made her very happy that he loved her so much. She just wished that he would let her grow up a little.

"I know, father" she said.

"But, not to sound rude, this isn't the time to be selfish. The worlds are in danger and they need our help. If there are beings called the Unversed roaming around the worlds and causing harm, I want to stop them. I don't want to stay here and do nothing while Terra and Aqua are doing all the fighting. If they're going to put their lives at risk, then so will I"

Eraqus looked at her for a moment before smiling weakly.

"Your mother acted the same way" he said.

"Always putting others before her"

Lumen smiled as well.

Eraqus sighed.

"Very well" he said.

"I won't force you to stay here, but promise me that you won't do anything reckless"

He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You're my only daughter. I don't want to lose you" he said.

"If anything happened to you, I just don't know what I would do"

Lumen pulled her father into a hugged and squeezed him tightly.

"Nothing will happen to me, I promise" she said.

"Once this is over, I'll come back home right away"

Eraqus hugged her tightly.

"Just promise me that when you go to other worlds, you won't use your special powers" he said.

"The Unversed are drawn to powers of the light and will try to snuff it out whenever they get the change"

Lumen nodded.

"I promise"

She let go of her father and left the room.

Eraqus watched as his daughter slowly got smaller until she was gone.

"Lumen" he said to himself.

"Please come back in one piece"

/

Lumen made it to the court yard just as Terra was about to leave.

He had turned his keybalde into his keyblade glider and activated his armor.

"Terra!" she cried.

Terra looked at her as she came running to him.

"So Master Eraqus let you go on this mission after all, huh?" he said.

Lumen smiled as she nodded.

"Yeah, I was surprised myself" she said.

Terra's laughed seemed to echo a little from under his helmet.

"At least he's letting you spread your wings" he said.

Lumen nodded.

She remembered that Terra wanted to ask her something before they were interrupted with this.

"Hey, Terra, what was it that you wanted to ask me?" she asked.

She could hear Terra clear his throat in a nervous matter before looking away.

"It…it can wait" he said.

"We have a serious matter on our hands right now. Once this is all taken care of, then I'll tell you"

Lumen was a little disappointed, but didn't show it.

"Oh, alright then" she said.

She went up to him and kissed him, even though his helmet was blocking her.

"Just promise me that you'll come back in one piece" she said.

Terra cupped her face in his hand.

"Don't worry, I will" he said.

"Just as long as you do the same for me"

Lumen smiled and nodded.

"I will"

Terra nodded a little.

"Then until then" he said.

He jumped onto his keyblade glider and flew off towards the portal that connected the worlds together.

Lumen watched as he went through.

"Might as well get going too" she said.

She activated her armor and turned her keyblade into a glider as well. It took the shape of a broom of some sorts since it connected with her magical skills.

She hopped on and quickly flew through the portal before it closed.

Her mission to save the worlds had started and she didn't want to fail now.

"_I wonder what I'll find on these worlds?" _she thought.

She was going to be in for a big surprise.

/

**A/N: Woo Hoo! Lumen is finally off to see other worlds! Which world will she land onto first? **

**And what was Terra going to ask her?**

**You'll just have to review to find out!**

**Ja ne!**


	5. Castle of Dreams

Chapter 5: Castle of Dreams

**A/N: Hey everyone! The story is finally starting to take off! Lumen is off on her first world and trouble is bound to happen. Will she be able to fight off the Unversed or not?**

**And yes, Terra was going to pop the question. But now the main problem for him is when he will ask her, or if he'll even get the chance to. **

**And just for a little heads up, each world Lumen lands on ties in with the other's storylines. For example, in one world, she could be in Terra's storyline and on the next world; she could be in Aqua's. It just depends which storyline world I liked the most. Just a heads up in case any of you get confused down the road.**

**I also posted a new poll up on my profile, so if anyone of you want to vote, feel free!**

**Anyway, let's get on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen was in complete awe as she traveled through the lanes in between. She never thought in a million years that she was would have the chance to travel to different worlds. She wish it would be during a time when the worlds weren't in danger, but she would take what she could get.

Besides, her needs were far less important. The worlds needed to be saved.

She pushed her glider further into the realm.

"_Thank goodness this armor keeps me warm, too" _she thought.

"_I would be freezing to death!"_

She let her mind wander as she continued to travel. It was going to be a long trip, so she had to entertain herself somehow.

She thought about what Terra was going to ask her before they were called off to take care of this situation.

She remembered that Terra looked really nervous, which surprised her since Terra never got nervous about anything. It must have been very important then.

"_Why would he get nervous about asking me something?" _she thought.

"_Was it something good? Or bad? 'sigh' sometimes I wish I could read Terra better" _

Since she wasn't getting answers with that, she decided to think back about the dream she had this morning. She still didn't understand what those riddles meant. How could broken chains made a whole chain? Or how one heart leads to all hearts?

Was this dream even important? Or was it just some random one she had and shouldn't pay any attention to it?

She shook her head at the last thought.

It had to be important if she was thinking about it now.

Every part of it didn't make any sense. From the riddles to the voice at the end. She never heard that voice before, but she felt like she had. It was like she knew who it belonged to but she just couldn't put a name or face to it.

"_Maybe it's someone I know, but I just forgot about them" _she thought.

She hung her head.

There really was no good answer for any of these questions.

"_This isn't helping" _she thought.

"_I should just focus on completing this mission and then worry about the crazy dreams I've been having" _

With that, she pushed her glider further through the lane.

There were worlds that needed to be saving and flying around wasn't going to fix it.

/

The lane opened up for Lumen and she landed in front of some court yard.

Dismissing her weapon and armor, she looked around to find herself in front of some type of castle. The whole palace was glowing from the inner lights and the moon shining down.

It was truly breath taking.

"Nice place" she said.

She jumped on the ledge of the fountain that stood in the center of the courtyard and walked around the edge.

"I wonder if all of the worlds are going to be like this?" she thought.

"This place puts home to shame. Maybe I can convince dad to do a little redecorating, maybe change the color theme"

She laughed at the thought of her dad remodeling the whole castle just to make it look better. He would look so ridiculous waving his keyblade around and magically transforming everything.

She jumped off the fountain and looked around.

"Now let's see" she muttered.

"If I were an Unversed, what would I look like?"

As if by magic, a blue creature emerged from the ground and scampered around her.

"I guess this would be it" Lumen said.

She took in the Unversed's appearance and decided it was just one of the minor types. Its body was all blue, except for its glowing red eyes. The creature moved back and forth on its feet, clearly showing that it was one of those fast kind.

A few more showed up and surrounded Lumen.

"Fight in a group, huh?" she stated.

She summoned her keyblade and went into a fighting stance.

"This shouldn't be a problem"

The unversed lunged at her, which she quickly dodged with ease. She sliced at one that managed to get rather close while she cast a few thunder spells at the others.

"_Offensive magic really isn't my thing, but you take what you can get_" she thought.

She was just glad that Aqua pressured her into learning them.

She went to strike the last Unversed in the group, but it dodged her attack and scurried away.

Lumen panicked when she saw it running up the castle steps and into the building.

"Oh no" she muttered.

She quickly ran after it before it could cause any harm to the inhabitants inside.

"Get back here!" she cried.

She sprinted up the steps and ran into the castle.

/

"I hope I don't get in trouble for breaking and entering" she mumbled.

She peered down one of the hallways to see if there were any guards on post, and was relieved to see no one.

Slowly walking down the hallway, she looked around for the runaway Unversed. She didn't know where it ran off to, but she was going to find out.

Quietly running down the hall, she ran into a couple of other Unversed. They didn't look like the one that ran away, but she knew that they had to be destroyed. She would destroy any Unversed that got in her way.

She simply used her magic rather than physically fight them. She wasn't nearly as strong as Terra was, so she had to rely on her magical abilities more than her physical. It made her seem weak, but it was better than not being good at anything.

She made her way up the stairs and continued searching for the Unversed.

As she went further into the castle, she could hear music playing and hear people chatter.

"Maybe there's a party tonight and that's why no one is on post?" she thought to herself.

"But if that's the case, then there should be guards here to prevent people from crashing in…but then again, I had to get in, so it's probably a good thing"

She shook her head when she realized that she was talking to herself.

"I need to find that Unversed before I go crazy"

She quickly went up another set of stairs and continued searching.

"I hope that Unversed didn't get too far" she said.

"Otherwise, there's going to be problems"

As she was rounding a corner, she bumped into someone and stumbled backwards a little.

"I'm so sorry!" she said.

She looked to see who she bumped into and found a man who appeared to be in him late fifties, dressed up as some sort of Duke.

In other words, someone who worked in this castle.

Lumen paled when she realized that she was probably caught.

"uh-oh" she muttered.

The Duke adjusted his spectacle and looked at Lumen. The Keyblade mistress but her lip when she realized that she was probably going to be kicked out, or worse be arrested for breaking into a castle. She couldn't let that happen. She had worlds to travel and Unversed to destroy.

However, it seemed that the Duke thought differently and smiled kindly at her.

"Oh, are you here for the ball?" he asked.

Lumen blinked.

"The ball?" she repeated.

The Duke nodded.

"Yes. Tonight a ball is being held for the prince to find his future queen" he explained.

"Princesses across the land have come tonight to see if they'll become the new queen. Surely you came here tonight for such an occasion?"

Lumen was at a loss for words.

This man thought that she was a princess and that she was looking to get _married_?

This was so wrong! She was madly in love with Terra. She wasn't looking to get hitched to some random guy like this.

The Duke seemed oblivious to what she was thinking and continued to smile at her.

"So, young lady, are you here to see the prince?"

Lumen gulped as she thought about what she was going to say. She didn't want to see some spoiled prince, but she didn't want to sound rude about it.

"Um…."

Just then, she spotted the Unversed from before rushing past the Duke and headed into the ballroom. She quickly panicked when she realized that there probably a lot of people and they would get hurt if she didn't destroy the Unversed.

She quickly looked back at the Duke and nodded frantically.

"Yes! I most certainly at here to see the prince!" she said.

She didn't like where this was going, but she had to get rid of the Unversed.

The Duke smiled brightly.

"Wonderful!" he said.

"If you'll just follow me, I'll lead to you the ballroom"

Lumen nodded and slowly followed the Duke to the ballroom.

As she was walking, she kept repeating the same sentence in her head.

"_I hope Terra doesn't see this!"_

/

There were a lot of people in the ballroom. Most of them were young women, but that was understandable since this party was for the Prince to find his future Queen.

Lumen was sweating bullets as the Duke led her into the ballroom

She didn't want to go to some ball and she most certainly didn't want to meet any Prince. She already had someone in her life and she was very happy with him.

The Duke led her to where the Prince was standing and bowed to him.

"May I present…uh…"

He looked at Lumen, hoping to catch her name.

Lumen gave him an uneasy smile.

"Lumen" she said.

"Princess Lumen" the Duke finished.

Lumen cringed. She wasn't a princess, she was a normal person!

She stepped forward and curtsied to the Prince.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness" she said.

The Prince just bowed to her and looked away.

Lumen sighed in relief. At least he wasn't interested in her and hoped that she would be his future queen.

She quickly stepped out of the way so other girls could meet the Prince.

She scanned the ballroom for the Unversed. She didn't know where it went, but she knew it was in here. There were no other doors to this room, so it couldn't get away.

As the music played in the background, she couldn't help but sway a little at the beat. It had been ages since she had been to any type of ball or party.

The last one she went to was for her 15th birthday party.

/

_People were cheering as Lumen entered the ballroom. Today was her birthday and everyone in The Land of Departure came to celebrate it. _

_Eraqus went all out as he made sure that today was perfect for his daughter's special day. She was all that he had left, so he wanted to spoil her to the best of his abilities. _

_Lumen smiled nervously as people congratulated her and wished her a Happy Birthday. _

_She was happy that so many people cared about her and wished her well, but it was a little too much for her. She really didn't know these people and she just wanted to spend the day with her closest friends and family._

_As the party continued, she found herself leaning against the wall. She didn't mind the party, but she just didn't like having people look at her as if she were some trophy that needed to be shown off. _

_She fiddled with her simple cream colored dress and watched as everyone had a good time. This was her birthday party, but she would rather that everyone had fun instead of it being just her. She wasn't that selfish. _

_She swayed a little at the music and just continued to hide from everyone. _

"_Having fun?"_

_Lumen jumped at the voice and turned to see Terra standing next to her._

_He laughed a little at her surprised look._

"_Oh, h-hi, Terra" she said._

_Terra smirked and leaned against the wall next to her._

"_You enjoying yourself?" he asked._

_Lumen blushed and nodded._

"_Y-yeah" she said._

"_My father really went all out this year. I think everyone came just to celebrate my birthday"_

"_Then why are you hiding over here?" Terra asked._

"_It's your birthday, so you should have fun"_

_Lumen blushed as she looked at the ground._

"_It's not that I'm bored or anything" she said._

"_It's just that…"_

_She looked at the crowd that was dancing out on the dance floor._

"_I just want to be the center of attention" she finished._

"_I mean, yeah it's my birthday and all, but I don't want to be passed around as if I'm some rare keyblade or something. Why spend my time with people that I don't really know when I could spend it with people who know and care about me?"_

_She fiddled with her dress a bit more._

"_Although, I would like to dance" she mumbled._

_Terra looked at her for a second before he held his hand out to her._

"_Come with me" he said._

_Lumen looked up at him in confusion, but took his hand anyway. She trusted him, so she shouldn't be afraid._

_Terra closed his larger hand over her smaller one and lead her towards the balcony and away from the party. The cool night air felt good against her skin. The stars were shining brightly tonight and seemed to twinkle in the sky._

_Terra let her go when they reached the center of the balcony and bowed to her._

"_May I have this dance?" he asked._

_Lumen looked surprised for a second but giggled soon after._

"_I'd love to" she said._

_She grasped Terra's hand and placed her other hand on his shoulder. She blushed when he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close. She felt safe and warm in his grasp._

_The two of them slowly dance to the music that was playing inside._

_Lumen enjoyed being so close to Terra. He was the only person in this world who could make her smile so easily. Ever since they met when they were children, they were always together. _

_She leaned her head against his shoulder and just enjoyed the peace and tranquility that only the night could provide._

_Terra placed his head on top of hers and just closed his eyes. _

_They felt like they were the only two people left in this world and nothing could tear them apart._

_Lumen hugged Terra close and buried her face in his chest._

"_I love you, Terra" she said softly._

_Terra hugged her as well and kissed the crown of her head._

"_I love you too, Lumen" _

_The two of them stayed out on the balcony until the party died down._

_This was the greatest gift that Terra could have ever given her._

_Being with her was all that she wanted in life._

_/_

Lumen smiled fondly at the memory. Even though the party was a little over the top for her, she enjoyed just being with Terra.

Those were the moments that she cherished the most.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two people entering the ballroom. One was a young woman wearing a beautiful white dress and the person next to her was none other than…

"Terra?" she breathed.

Sure enough, she saw her boyfriend escorting the young woman to the ballroom and bowed to her as she left.

Lumen was at a loss of words. She never expected to see him so soon. She thought it would be a while since they were off defeating the Unversed and yet, here he was on the first world that she landed on.

She smiled and quickly headed towards him.

"Terra!"

Terra spun around and was shocked to see her.

"Lumen?"

Lumen smiled brightly when she approached him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I could say the same for you" Terra said as he hugged her back.

Lumen stepped back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I was here to get rid of a few Unversed" she said.

"And you?"

"Same thing" Terra said.

"And then I got roped into escorting that woman named Cinderella. It seems the Unversed are drawn to her"

Lumen looked at Cinderella as she danced with the Prince. She was glad that the prince found someone and seemed happy to be with her.

She looked at Cinderella and sensed light coming from her. It wasn't like the type of light she sensed whenever she was near Terra or Aqua. It seemed brighter…more pure.

"I sense something about her" she admitted.

"But what it is, I don't know"

She sighed and looked up at Terra.

"So how have your journeys been?" she asked.

Terra looked a little torn about something, but quickly masked them behind a smile. He didn't want to tell her what he had done on the last few worlds.

"I've been good" he said.

"But I'm glad to see that you're ok"

Lumen smiled.

However, that smile vanished when she spotted the Unversed from before. It was crawling up the walls and headed to the upper floor.

"Oh no" she said.

"What's wrong?"' Terra asked.

Lumen bit her lip and looked at Terra.

"I was chasing an Unversed from before and I finally found it" she said.

"But there's a slight problem"

Terra raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?"

Lumen pointed towards the upper level, where something strange was happening. They could see darkness forming around the area.

This wasn't good at all.

"I need to get rid of it before it hurts these people" Lumen said.

"But I don't know how to get up there"

Terra gave her a serious look.

"I'll handle it"

He quickly went up to the Grand Duke.

"Tell me. How do I get up there?" he asked, pointing towards the upper floor.

The Grand Duke sputtered a little at the sudden demand, but complied.

"Well, there's a passage beneath the foyer staircase" he said.

Terra nodded.

"Thanks" he said.

He turned to Lumen.

"Let's go"

The two of them quickly left the ballroom and headed for the foyer.

/

"This is what I get for getting too carried away with things" Lumen moaned.

Terra gave her a reassuring smile as they headed for the secret passage.

"Don't be so hard on yourself" he said.

"We don't know how the Unversed think, so it's only natural that you wouldn't know that this would happen"

Lumen gave him a weak smile.

"I know, but it doesn't help that I let one get away" she said.

"I just know things are going to get bad really fast"

They headed towards the passage and ran through the doors. The hallways were dimly lit, so it was hard to see in front of them.

"Why do castles have to have dark hallways?" Lumen asked.

Terra just chuckled a little as they ran.

"Don't know, but we don't have time to talk about this castle's fashion senses"

They quickly ran for the opening that lead them to the upper floor.

The unversed scurried around, trying to look for another place to run for.

Lumen summoned her keyblade and pointed it towards the Unversed.

"Looks like it's the end of the line for you" she said.

The Unversed twitched for a second before it suddenly transformed. It grew larger and morphed into something entirely different. When it finished transforming, it turned into a giant conductor like Unversed with musical instruments floating around it.

Lumen's keyblade faltered as she saw this.

"Or not" she said.

The Unversed waved its conducting stick around and set an explosive underneath her.

"Lumen!" Terra cried.

He quickly grabbed her and jumped off the ledge before the explosion went off.

Lumen gave him a grateful smile when he set her down.

"Sorry about that" she said.

Terra just shook his head and pointed his keyblade at the Unversed.

"Down here!"

The Unversed turned around and jumped to the ground.

Everyone at the Ball panicked and ran for the entrance. The Grand Duke panicked and called for the guards.

"Guards! Guards! Ooh, where could they be?"

Lumen looked at him.

"We'll take care of this" she said.

"Just get everyone out of here"

The Grand Duke nodded and quickly escorted Cinderella and the Prince to safety while Terra and Lumen faced the Unversed.

"This Unversed really isn't playing my kind of song" Lumen joked.

Terra snorted.

"That's got to be the weakest come back line that I've ever heard" he said.

Lumen shrugged innocently.

"What can I say? I guess actions speak louder than words"

The Unversed summoned up its musical instruments and had them floating around the room.

"I'll get rid of those instruments if you distract this thing" Lumen said.

"Just make sure you save some of the fighting for me"

Terra smirked.

"Can't promise you on that" he said.

They quickly split up and separated the Unversed from its instruments.

Lumen smiled darkly when she had the instruments right where she wanted them.

"Now let's play my kind of song"

She jumped out of the way when a trumpet lunged itself at her and dove to the ground when the violin swung itself around.

Lumen laughed at the sight. These puny little things thought that they could beat her.

"Now it's my turn" she said.

She ran forward and jumped on top of the drum set. The trumpet saw her and quickly went to attack her, only to have Lumen flip out of the way at the last second and hit the drum instead. Lumen slid down the trumpet and used her keyblade to hook itself into the violin's strings. She used all the strength that she carried in herself and swung the violin around until it hit the wall.

She landed on the ground and saw all the instruments mixed together in a tangled up pile.

"I think it's time we bring this to a wrap" she said.

She took out the white ribbon she tied in her hair and cast a spell on it to make it grow larger. She flung it like a whip and had all the instruments wrapped up in her magically enhanced ribbon.

Lumen smirked darkly and tugged on the ribbon, causing the vice grip that they were in to grow tighter. She pulled tighter and tighter until the point where the instruments couldn't take it anymore and exploded.

Lumen smiled as she readjusted her ribbon.

"That's more like it" she said.

"Now I just need to help out Terra"

She quickly ran to where Terra was and went into battle. She used some of her more powerful defensive spells since the thing had the tendency to throw its conducting stick around like a boomerang.

Terra used his physical strength to push the Unversed back while Lumen attacked it with her magic. While she wasn't good with offensive magic, she was good at combining them with her defensive magic. Whenever the Unversed tried to attack, she would put up a shield that would give off electricity everything the Unversed would hit it. Or she would cast reflective spells on Terra and herself so that the Unversed would get hit instead of them.

The two of them continued to team up as they fought.

After a while, the Unversed had enough of this and went into Berserk mode on them. It swung its conductor stick around like crazy and tried to hit them.

Lumen dodged most of them and had to jump away whenever it got to close to hitting her. She fell to the floor when it tried to cut her head off and rolled out of the way when it slammed it to the ground.

She quickly moved out of the way as it flung the stick like a boomerang and had it flying all over the place.

Terra panicked when he saw it aim for Lumen's blind spot.

"Lumen!"

He quickly rushed forward and pushed her out of the way just as it collided with his side.

He skidded to the ground and cringed at the pain.

"Terra!" Lumen cried.

She turned around and glared at the Unversed.

"Nobody gets away with hurting my boyfriend!" she declared.

She clasped her hands in a praying like manner and chanted and spell. Chains shot out from her keyblade and wrapped themselves around the Unversed. It struggled to get away from it, but the chains but burn it with its light.

Lumen knew that she wasn't supposed to use this spell, but she just couldn't let an Unversed get away with harming her boyfriend. It she had the power to stop this, then she was going to use it.

Terra quickly got up on his feet and sliced the Unversed in half.

The creature of darkness dropped its conductor stick and slowly eroded away into tiny particles.

Lumen wiped the sweat that formed on her forehead. That took a lot out of her. But then again, she never fought with an Unversed like that before.

Terra went up to her when the fight was over.

"You alright?" he asked.

Lumen smiled a little and nodded.

"I have a few scratches here and there, but nothing that a simple cure spell won't handle"

Terra smiled with relief before her frowned.

"You used that spell again" he said.

Lumen sighed, knowing that she was going to get a lecture.

"I know. And I know I wasn't supposed to use it. But you were hurt. I wanted to protect you"

Terra placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My life isn't as important as yours" he said.

"Master Eraqus said to never use your powers. So when he says that, it must be very important"

Lumen blushed a little, knowing that Terra was just looking out for her.

"I'll try not to use them next time" she said.

Terra smiled. He loved it when he won their little arguments.

The Grand Duke went up to them when the fight was over.

"Thank you. You saved us all" he said.

He looked around the ballroom sadly.

"The guests were just starting to enjoy themselves"

Terra smiled.

"Well don't give up just yet" he said.

Lumen nodded.

"What matters is that no one got hurt"

She smirked as she saw Cinderella and the Prince.

"Besides, not all was lost here"

The Grand Duke looked at the couple, and cried for joy. It seemed that maybe they did find a queen after all.

Lumen smiled softly. Seeing Cinderella and the Prince together reminded her of Terra and herself. Both of them were in love and nothing could tear them apart.

However, it seemed something could tear this new couple apart. The clock struck midnight and chimed throughout the castle.

Cinderella panicked and quickly bid the prince farewell before running off.

"This isn't good" Terra said.

"She has until midnight before the spell is broken on her"

Lumen looked up at him in confusion.

"Spell?" she asked.

Terra shook his head.

"It's a long story" he said.

"But she needs to get out of here fast"

Lumen watched as the Gran Duke ran after her, hoping to stop her from leaving.

"Mademoiselle! Senorita!" he cried.

Lumen watched as Cinderella tried to get away. It seemed that she obviously didn't want the prince to see something.

She bit her lip when she realized what she was about to do.

She quickly sprinted out of the ballroom and quickly ran after her.

"Lumen!" Terra cried.

Lumen looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.

"I'll be fine!" she called out.

"Stay out of trouble while you're traveling"

She blew him a kiss and quickly ran off.

The Grand Duke was about to grab Cinderella's hand before Lumen cast a minor shield spell around the young woman. The Grand Duke slammed face first into it and fell to the floor.

Lumen quickly grabbed Cinderella's hand and lead her towards the castle entrance.

"This way!" she said.

As they were running down the steps, Cinderella dropped one of her glass slippers.

The young princess gasped and went to go back for it.

"Oh no!"

Lumen quickly pulled her away.

"We don't have time!" she cried.

As they were running, Lumen spotted Aqua entering the castle.

"Aqua?"

The keyblade master looked surprised to see her best friend here and dragging someone with her no less.

"Lumen?" she asked.

"What are you doing?"

Lumen shook her head.

"No time to explain" she said.

"I'll see you around"

She ran past her friend and headed through the long castle hallways and out of the castle.

/

When they made into the forest, the two of them stopped running. Lumen checked to see if anyone followed them and was glad that they were safe.

"All clear"

She turned around and was shocked to see Cinderella in rags rather than her dress. The young woman bowed her head shamefully.

"I'm so sorry" she said.

"I was having so much fun that I lost track of time"

Lumen gave her a gentle smile.

"There's no need to aplologize" she said.

"You had fun. And that's all that matters"

Cinderella smiled softly at her.

"I just wish I had something to remember this wonderful night"

Lumen pondered over this and tried to figure out what she could use to help the poor thing out. She notice something glittering on the ground and realized that Cinderella still had one of her glass slippers on.

"You do have something" she said.

She pointed to the glass slipper.

"That can be your keep sake"

Cinderella gasped when she saw the slipper and quickly took it off. She held it close to her heart and treated it as if it were the most sacred item in the world.

"Thank you so much" she said.

"How can I ever repay you?"

Lumen just shook her head.

"Just don't lose that slipper and we'll call it even" she said.

Cinderella smiled.

"Of course"

"Thank you, um…"

"Lumen"

Cinderella nodded.

"Thank you, Lumen. You're an angel"

Lumen blushed at being called an angel and just waved it off.

"A-anyway, will you be fine returning home from here?"

Cinderella nodded.

"Yes. I should"

"Then you better hurry then. Those guards were persistent and they'll probably search here soon"

Cinderella nodded and pocketed her slipper.

"Thank you again, Lumen" she said.

"Until then, take care"

She quickly hurried off and headed back to her home.

Lumen sighed with relief.

"Glad that's over with" she said.

"But at least she had fun"

She smiled over the nights events. So much had happened on her first visit to other worlds. She was able to go to a ball, meet a princess, fight a tough Unversed, and most of all get to see Terra.

She placed a hand over her heart.

Even if she didn't have any item to remember this night, the memories she created would last forever.

"I don't need any materialistic things to make me happy" she said to herself.

"Just the memories themselves are more than enough"

And that's what she hoped Cinderella learned from this night as she left for another world.

Even if she didn't have a beautiful dress or have a glass slipper. Just the memories themselves would be the greatest treasure she could ever have.

/

**A/N: and there you go. Lumen visited her first world and she was able to see Terra again! I know the fighting scene sucked, but like I've said before, fighting scenes are not my specialty. **

**I hoped you guys liked this and are looking forward to which storyline I pick for the next world!**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!'**


	6. Dwarf Woodlands

Chapter 6: Dwarf Woodlands

**A/N: And we're back with another awesome chapter to this awesome story. Everyone seemed to like the last world Lumen was on. I hope you enjoy this world! **

**Classes have really been killing me lately. I have to do so many projects for my computer classes that I nearly don't have time to write my stories. So if it's taking me a while to update, please bear with me. This is my last semester before I graduate. **

**But on the upside, I've learned how to animate things through Photoshop, you I have a few animations up on my Deviantart page. Feel free to look at them.**

**And just a quick note, they finally showed Riku's new outfit for Kingdom Hearts 3D! I can't wait until it comes out. I'll even buy a 3DS for it!**

**Now with that out of the way, let's get back to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen steadily traveled between the lanes. After she helped Cinderella get back to her home without the prince seeing her, she quickly left so she could head to the next world. If the Unversed were this bad in one world, she couldn't even imagine what they were like on the others. She was lucky to have managed defeating them, but she had Terra's help.

She sighed as she thought about her boyfriend.

She was beyond happy to have seen him, but she was also a little upset. While he acted like his usual self by smiling and treating her like the greatest treasure in the world, she noticed that there was something different about him.

She couldn't describe it, but she sensed something off about him. Something…dark. She didn't know if it was the effects of traveling between lanes. Her father always did say that the darkness was strongest out here then it was on worlds. Could it be that Terra's armor wasn't strong enough to deflect the darkness?

Or was it that his heart wasn't strong enough?

Images of the Mark of Mastery exam flashed through her head. She knew that she saw darkness coming off of Terra's body, but she wasn't so sure about it.

She hoped that she was just overreacting and that Terra wasn't being consumed by the darkness. He was the only person who made her life worth living. If anything happened to him, she didn't know what she would do.

She shook those thoughts aside. She shouldn't be thinking these negative things. Not when she was on a mission to defeat the Unversed.

"_I'm sure Terra's absolutely fine" _she thought.

"_He's strong. He would never let anything sway him away from what he believes in"_

At least, that's what she hoped.

She couldn't be so sure because people tend to change when they travel.

She just hoped that she wouldn't change from all of this.

/

Mountains were all over the place when Lumen arrived to her next world. While Castle of Dreams was coated with the night, this world was bathed with sunlight.

Lumen carefully walked along a step ledge. One wrong step and she would tumble a long way down.

"These worlds just get stranger and stranger" she said to herself.

Watching where she stepped, she checked her surroundings. She couldn't see any life forms here, or anyone for that matter.

"Then again, who would be up here in the mountains?" she asked herself.

She laughed a little at her silly analogy and continued to walk further down the mountain so she could be on stable ground.

She carefully slid down a slope as she went further down. She didn't like being up in high places, so she wanted to get down really quick.

"This world is full of surprises" she said.

"I wonder what I'll run into next."

"Lumen?"

The keyblade wielder gasped when she heard a familiar voice. One that she didn't expect to hear on her travels.

Slowly turning around, she saw none other than…

"Ven?" she asked.

Sure enough, Ven was standing on the other side of the ledge that she was standing on, smiling away.

"Hey Lumen!" he said.

He quickly ran over to her.

Lumen was at a loss for words. She never expected to see Ven out here, traveling to different worlds. She never expected him to leave their world period! She knew for a fact that her father only told Terra, Aqua and herself to go out and take care of the Unversed. She never recalled Ven being part of it as well. He was the youngest in the group, so that meant that he had to stay back…right?

Ven was all grins as he looked up at his sister figure.

"I didn't know you were here" he said.

Lumen cracked a nervous grin.

"I could say the same thing about you" she said.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?"

The smile on Ven's face faded away.

Looking at the ground, he rubbed the back of his neck while he kicked at a pebble.

"Well, about that…" he said.

Lumen gave him a look as she crossed her arms. Something was fishy about all of this and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

"Ven" she said.

"Did my father give you permission to travel?"

Ven cringed when he realized that he was being interrogated. He knew that he couldn't lie to Lumen because she wouldn't always find out about the truth later on.

Lumen tapped her foot.

"Well?" she asked.

Ven gulped and laughed nervously at her.

"Well, uh…not…really" he mumbled.

Lumen fumed at this point.

"Ventus!" she yelled.

Ven flinched when she said his full name. It was like a parent saying a child's middle name. That meant he was in real trouble.

Lumen exploded on him.

"What do you mean 'not really'?Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? If my father didn't give you permission to travel to different worlds, then that meant you can't go! It's dangerous out here! What if you got hurt and neither Terra, Aqua or I knew where you were? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Just what caused you to do something so reckless and dangerous?"

Ven looked up at her sharply.

"I came to look for Terra!" he cried.

Lumen was taken aback by that.

"Looking for Terra?" she repeated.

Ven nodded.

Now Lumen was really confused. Why would Ven risk his life just to find Terra? Did something happen before they left? Did they get in a fight?

"Why would you look for Terra?" she asked.

Ven looked away for a moment, before looking back at her.

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked.

Lumen raised an eyebrow but nodded.

Ven sighed before he launched his story.

"Back at home…I ran into this boy wearing a mask" he said.

"He told me that the Terra I know will never be the same. That he'll be gone"

Lumen couldn't understand why someone would say that. What did they mean that the Terra they knew would be gone? Was he going to disappear or something?

Ven looked at the ground sadly.

"I didn't believe what he said. Terra's my best friend, I know all about him" he said.

"But…then I thought back about the exams and how he acted different when Aqua passed. It made me wonder if Terra really was different then who I know. I wanted to talk to him before he left, but I was too late. I didn't know how long he would be gone, so I followed after him. I didn't want to wait. What if he changed from his travels? What if he…what if he wasn't the Terra that I know?"

Lumen's heart broke for Ven. She didn't realize that he was affected by Terra failing the exams like she was. He was always so happy and cheerful, it was always hard to see him upset.

She knelt in front of him so she could be eye level with him.

"Ven" she said.

"You don't have to worry about those things" she said.

"You've said it before. You know Terra better than anyone. This masked boy was probably messing with your head and wanted to freak you out. You have nothing to worry about. Terra will always be Terra"

Ven looked at her.

"Do you believe what that masked boy said?" he asked.

Lumen quietly thought about it. Now that he mentioned it, she thought back about to how Terra was acting at Castle of Dreams. He was still his usual self, but something was off about him. It was like he wasn't his usual self.

Was this masked boy right? Was Terra changing?

"_Nah" _she thought.

"_He's still the Terra that I know and love. And besides, I don't even know who this masked boy is. I'm just overthinking things….like usual"_

She gave Ven a small smile.

"Not at all" she said.

"I know Terra better than anyone else. I'm his girlfriend after all"

Ven laughed a little.

"That is true"

Lumen smiled as she stood up. Her smile faded as she came to the heart of the matter.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you snuck out" she said.

Ven hung his head. He thought he was off the hook.

Lumen pointed a finger at him.

"You head back home right now, mister" she said.

"It's dangerous out here. There are these monsters called Unversed and I don't want you caught up in any of this. Just be a good boy and go home. And I'll even make sure my father doesn't punish you"

Ven looked off to the side.

"But I…"

He stopped talking when he noticed people walking up the mountain.

"Huh?"

He went closer to the ledge to get a better look. As the figures drew closer, Ven noticed seven little men carrying tools with them. All of them wore funny clothes and had a slight jump in their step. They all had grey beards, save for the last one who looked a lot younger and had a bigger jump in his step.

"Wow" Ven breathed.

He looked back at Lumen.

"Lumen, you have to see this"

Lumen sighed at Ven's childish behavior. She carefully went over to where he was and spotted the little men.

"Well what do you know" she said.

"There really are people up here"

Ven suddenly came up with an idea that would prevent him from going home so soon.

"Hey! Maybe they know where Terra is?" he suggested.

Lumen quickly looked at him.

"Huh?"

Ven smiled.

"I'm going to ask them!"

He quickly ran past her and headed down the cliff. Lumen panicked and quickly followed after him.

"Wait Ven! Don't run so fast! You'll slip!"

Ven just ignored her as he ran. He always found it funny when Lumen would freak out over the little things when it came to him. She was like a mother hen almost.

As he ran into the cave, Lumen growled.

"Ventus!" she growled as she entered the cave.

"When I get my hands on you, you are going to be in big trouble!"

Ven just laughed as he ran further into the cave.

/

The inside of the cave was glittering with thousands of jewels. It was hard to believe that something so valuable could be found in a deserted area like this.

The little men picked away at the jewels that were stuck in the earth. They were more valuable loose than they were stuck.

They were so busy with their work that they didn't even notice Ven entering the cave. The young keyblade wielder was awed by the sight of so many colorful gems. Even though he was in trouble for running away from home, he was glad that he did. How else would he have seen this sight?

Lumen quickly entered the cave and breathed heavily. Since Ven was fast on his feet as well with his attacks, that meant he was a fast runner.

She glared at the young boy when she spotted him standing in the middle of the cave. Didn't he realize how much trouble he was in?

Stomping over to him, she grabbed him the back of his shirt and drilled him out.

"You!" she snapped.

"Do you know how much trouble you're in?"

Ven cringed and tried to get himself out of this mess.

"But I just want to know where Terra is" he insisted.

"Don't you?"

Lumen's glare softened.

"Yes, I do. But I what I don't want is you running off into unknown danger" she said.

As they were talking, one of the little men noticed them and looked at him. He appeared to be the oldest since he wore glasses.

"Huh? Who are you?" he asked them.

The two keyblade wielders jumped when they realized they were spotted and quickly composed themselves.

Ven smiled when he managed to have Lumen let him go.

"I'm Ventus. Call me Ven" he said.

"And this is my friend, Lumen"

Lumen smiled weakly, dreading being pulled into this mess.

"Hi" she said weakly.

The little man with the glasses mulled this over, but the one next to him jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"Diamond thieves!" he cried in a grouchy voice.

"Take cover, ya fools!"

Lumen frowned. That wasn't nice. Why would they jump to that conclusion? Did they look like thieves?

The little men quickly ran all over the place, trying to get away from the supposed thieves. Some hid further into the cave while others hid behind rocks. The youngest one tripped over his long shirt and smashed his face into one of the cave walls.

"Oh dear" Lumen said.

She quickly went over to the poor thing and used a simple cure spell. The young man blinked as he sat up.

Lumen quickly checked him over.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

The little nodded as he had a dopey grin on his face.

Lumen chuckled a little.

"Just stay put so you don't hurt yourself, ok?"

The little man nodded again as he had that huge grin on his face.

Ven looked around at the hiding men.

"We're sorry" he said.

"We didn't mean to frighten you"

One of the men poked his head from behind the rock.

"You didn't?" he asked in a slightly cheerful voice.

Another one yawned slightly.

"You mean, you're not here to steal our diamonds?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

Lumen nodded as she stood near Ven.

"That's not nice, treating us like we're the bad guys" she said.

"We're just trying to find a friend" Ven insisted.

"His name is Terra. He's dressed kinda like us, and about yay tall-"

"Sounds like a tall tale to me!" the grumpy man said.

"Go on, git!"

"We don't know any Terra" A man said with a nasally voice.

Ven hung his head in defeat. They just wouldn't listen.

Lumen looked at him sadly. It always made her sad whenever Ven was down. He was always happy, so he shouldn't be sad.

She looked at the seven men with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Please" she pleaded.

"Could you come over here? We just want to talk"

"Don't fall for it!" the grumpy man said.

"Stay where ya are!"

Lumen sighed in annoyance before looking at Ven. If talking to them would get them nowhere, then they would have to use force.

"Alright then, have it your way" she said.

"If you won't come to us, we'll just come to you"

The little men panicked and ran further into the cave.

"Get back here!" Ven cried.

They ran after the little men, knowing that they weren't going to let them get off easy. Lumen noticed that the dopey looking man was still standing where she told him to stay.

"Stay there and stay out of trouble" she said.

The dopey man smiled as he nodded, showing that he would listen.

"Good boy" Lumen said.

She quickly ran further into the cave.

/

The cave was a lot bigger the deeper it went. It was so wide and cluttered with rocks that Lumen wondered how she would find the little men.

"Don't hide from us" Ven insisted.

"We just want to talk"

Lumen sighed.

"They won't listen, Ven" she said.

"We need them to listen through force"

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement. One of the crates moved a tiny bit as if there was something underneath it.

Raising an eyebrow, she went over to the crate.

"Now what do we have here?" she muttered to herself.

She figured it was one of the little men hiding, so she tried to be as quiet as she could.

Grabbing the sides of the crate, she quickly lifted it up.

"Got ya!"

Oh, she got something alright, but it wasn't one of the little men. Instead, it was an Unversed.

The Unversed quickly darted away. It sensed live prey and it wanted to eat off of it.

Lumen panicked and quickly summoned her keyblade.

"Ven! Find the little men while I take care of the Unversed!" she cried.

Ven nodded and started searching while Lumen fought off the Unversed.

"They're just all over the place" she growled.

She cast a mine spell around the areas so whenever they stepped on it, they would explode. One of the crates started running and accidentally stepped on one of the mines. The box exploded and revealed the grumpy little man.

"What'd you do that for?" he growled.

Lumen gave him a dull glare.

"I never meant for that to happen" she said.

"But when you think about it, you deserved it"

The grumpy little man just grumbled and ran off.

Lumen sighed and looked back at the Unversed she was facing.

"1 down, 5 more to go" she said.

She ran through the cave, making sure the Unversed weren't trying to hurt Ven or the little men. She figured that Ven wouldn't know what the Unversed looked or fought like, so she had to take care of this.

"Get back!"

She flung her keyblade at a bunch of them and used a few minor spells. She was a defensive person, not an offensive.

When she made sure the Unversed were gone, she joined Ven with finding the rest of the little men.

Most of them were hiding under crates while two of them were hiding in wheel barrels. Lumen thought that was clever since the barrels moved all over the place and prevented them from getting caught. The only downside to it was that the wheels were made of wood and a simple fire spell could take care of that.

She picked up the sleepy looking man out of the wheel barrel and brought him over to the others.

"Ride's over" she said.

When they got all the little men together again, they were quick to interrogate them.

"Come on" Ven said.

"We're telling you, we're no thieves"

"Ha! That's what they all say!" the grumpy one shouted.

Lumen sighed.

"If we were thieves, we would have stolen your diamonds instead of catching you" she pointed out.

The grumpy one stomped his foot.

"It doesn't matter! We're on to ya!" he snapped.

Ven sighed in defeat.

"Fine, we get it" he said.

"You want us to leave, we'll leave"

They started walking away. If they weren't going to tell them where Terra was, then what was the point of staying?

"_I have other pressing matters to deal with anyway" _Lumen thought.

"_Like getting rid of the Unversed and bringing Ven home"_

She looked out of the corner of her eye to see the defeated look on Ven's face. He really wanted to find Terra and he just kept getting nowhere.

Sighing, she knew that she was going to regret what she would do next. She cursed herself for being a softy when it came to Ven. He was like the little brother that she never had, after all.

Turning around, she faced the little men.

"Um…can you tell us where we might find some other people around here?" she asked.

Ven looked up surprised.

Was Lumen really going to help him find Terra? This was too good to be true.

The man with the glasses stroked his beard.

"There's a castle beyond the chorus- I mean forest" he said.

Lumen gave him a small smile.

"Thanks" she said.

She looked at Ven.

"Let's head to the castle then"

Ven smiled and nodded.

They silently left the cave and let the little men resume their work.

Ven nearly tackled Lumen when they left the cave. He pulled her into a bone crushing hug and buried his face into her side.

"Thanks so much, Lumen!" he cheered.

"I was starting to think that you were just going send me home"

Lumen gently pulled Ven away.

"Hold it right there, Ventus" she said.

She placed her hands on her hips and went into her authoritative mode.

"I'll help you look for Terra while I'm on this world" she said.

"But I didn't say you were off the hook. If we don't find Terra on this world, you go straight home. I don't want you traveling between worlds when you're not even a full fledge keyblade master"

"But you're not one either" Ven pointed out.

"You're missing the point!" Lumen snapped.

"My father didn't have you go on this mission for a number of reasons. I'm only going to let you get away with this once since I'm here. But since I'm still on my mission, I can't keep an eye on you. I need you do go home where I know you'll be safe"

Ven glared at her.

"I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself" he said.

"I never said you couldn't" Lumen said.

"I just worry about you. You're like the little brother that I've never had. I just don't know what I would do if I lost you"

She bent down so she could grab his shoulder's.

"Can you please just do this?" she asked.

"For me?"

She gave him a puppy dog look that usually worked whenever she pulled it on Terra or her father.

Ven groaned when he felt himself cave in.

"Oh, alright" he said.

"I'll go back after this"

Lumen smiled.

"Good"

She stood up straight and nudged her head towards the forest.

"Then let's get moving. We won't find Terra just standing around"

Ven nodded.

"Got it"

They walked down the mountains and headed towards the forest, hoping that they would find some clues.

/

"I don't know why they thought we were thieves" Ven said as they walked through the forest.

Lumen shrugged.

"They were just protecting the things they cherish most" she said.

"I'm sure if you were in their position, you would act the same way"

Ven stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah…but that doesn't change the fact that they were rude" he said.

Lumen nodded.

"That's just how people are" she said.

They stopped when they spotted a tiny little cottage in the clearing of the forest.

"This must be where those little men live" Ven said.

Lumen looked at the house.

"It is a pretty little house"

She trailed her finger across the windowsill to find a trail of dirt stuck to her finger.

"But it needs a woman's touch" she finished.

Ven laughed at her.

"AHHHHH!"

The two of them jumped when they heard screaming coming deeper within the forest.

"Someone must be in trouble" Lumen said.

They quickly ran deeper into the forest so they could save the poor unfortunate soul.

The forest was much darker with the trees all cluttered together. Not even a small speck of light could shine through the thick branches.

"I can see why someone would scream from here" Ven said.

It was hard to see in front of them since it was so dark, but they managed. Lumen had her keyblade at the ready in case any Unversed showed up. This was the perfect place to get ambushed.

As they made it near the center of the forest, they found a young woman on the ground, crying her eyes out. The poor thing was so miserable that she didn't even notice Ven and Lumen approaching her until they spoke.

"What's wrong?" Ven asked.

The woman sniffled as she looked up at them.

"These horrible trees-they tried to grab me" she choked out.

Lumen pitied for the woman. She could understand why she would be so afraid. This forest was so dark and creepy that it even made her shiver.

She knelt in front of the woman and held her hand out.

"It's ok" she said.

"You were probably just seeing things. It happens to all of us when we're afraid"

The woman slowly took her hand and allowed her to help her stand. She dusted off her yellow dress as she looked at them.

"Oh, thank you" she said.

"I feel quite better now. I'm sure I'll get along, somehow"

She looked at the ground.

"But…I do need a place to sleep at night" she admitted.

"Would you both know where I might go?"

Ven smiled as he nodded.

"Well, we saw a house just up ahead" he said.

"Come on, we'll take you there"

The woman smiled brightly.

"Thank you" she said.

Ven nodded.

"Oh, I'm Ventus" he said.

"Ven for short"

"And I'm Lumen" Lumen added.

The woman smiled again.

"My name is Snow White" she said.

"Great! Let's get going!" Ven said.

Lumen scanned the forest and spotted a few Unversed lurking around.

She scowled as she gripped her keyblade.

"Ven, protect Snow White while I take care of the Unversed" she said.

Ven nodded as he summoned his keyblade.

"Got it"

Lumen quickly dashed forward and cleared a path for them to follow. She cast a few fire spells to burn them as well as creating a light to see in this dark forest. Ven and Snow White slowly followed her when the coast was clear. Lumen kept attacking the Unversed while Ven protected Snow White.

When they made it near the edge of the forest, they quickly ran to the clearing and headed for the house.

Ven opened the door quickly and they all rushed inside before the Unversed decided to follow.

"We should be safe here" he said.

Snow White looked around the room while Lumen kept an eye on the window. She didn't see any Unversed, but she wasn't going to let her guard down.

"I'm pretty sure you'll be safe here" Ven said.

"But sit tight until I look around"

He looked at Lumen.

"Can you stay here in case anything happens?"

Lumen nodded.

"Just be careful" she said.

Ven nodded.

"I will" he said.

He quickly left the house and left the two women alone.

Snow White looked around the house some more.

"This is a cute little home" she said.

She looked at her shoes to see dust kick up as she walked.

"But it's a little dirty" she admitted.

Lumen nodded as she looked around the room.

Dust coated every surface in the area and there was a huge mountain of dishes. This was no place for a young woman to stay in.

"Why don't we clean up the place a tiny bit? She suggested.

"I'll help"

Snow White smiled.

"Oh, you're so kind" she said.

She picked up a broom that was leaning against the wall.

"I'll sweep up the room if you'll do the dishes" she said.

Lumen nodded and headed towards the sink. She filled the tub with soapy warm water and began cleaning the dishes. They were caked with harden food that she had to put her back into it to make them spotless.

She looked at Snow White while she was sweeping and couldn't help but notice a warm, vibrant light coming from here.

It was just like when she saw Cinderella. Her heart was so pure that she couldn't sense any darkness from it.

Sighing, she went back to her attempt of cleaning the dishes. It was so long since she did household chores like this.

The last time that she did these things was back when she and her father were starting to adapt to a life without her mother.

She could still remember clearly how her father tried, yet failed to do regular chores.

/

_Flashback._

"_Daddy? Can you put my hair into pigtails?"_

_Eraqus looked at his five year old daughter like she grew a second head. He had never fixed her hair up, let alone brush it. Serenity was the one who always did that._

_But when he saw the hopeful, yet pleading look in his daughter's eyes, he knew that he couldn't refuse her._

_Sighing, he took the brush and hair tie from her and attempted to put her hair up into pigtails. _

_Lumen winched every now and then when her father brushed her head too hard. _

_Eraqus struggled as he gathered a bunch of her hair and tried to tie it up then doing it again to the other half of her hair._

_When he finished, he frowned. Half of Lumen's hair was up high while the other half was really low. She looked really crazy with her hairdo._

_Lumen picked up the mirror and looked at herself. _

_Eraqus expected her to start complaining, but he was taken aback when he heard her squeal with joy._

"_Wow! I look pretty!" she cried._

_She smiled up at him._

"_Thank you, daddy!"_

_She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist._

_Eraqus looked at his daughter for a moment before hugging her close to him._

_He was finding it hard to raise his daughter by himself. But if was able to make her smile like that, then it was worth it._

/

Lumen chuckled quietly. She knew her father was horrible when it came to feminine chores like that. But even so, she cherished the fact that he attempted to do them. He was forced to become a father and a mother to her so suddenly, that he attempted do the things that her mother did.

Even though he failed at them, he still went with it. Because he knew it made her happy.

It let her know that she had a loving father who loved his daughter very much.

"_Thank you for trying so hard, father" _she thought.

When the dishes were finally clean, she looked at Snow White to see that she finished up as well.

"At least the house looks a lot better than before" she said.

Snow White nodded before she stifled a yawn.

"You must be tired after everything you went through today" Lumen said.

She spotted a set of stairs the lead to the second floor.

"There must be a bed upstairs that you can sleep in" she said.

She went up the steps while Snow White slowly followed.

Lumen opened the door to the second floor and found a room with seven little beds in it. Each bed was large enough to hold seven little people in it.

"_This must be where the seven little men sleep" _she thought.

She looked at the beds to see names carved into them.

Doc, Bashful, Happy, Sneezey, Sleepy, Dopey and Grumpy.

Snow White looked at the beds and smiled tiredly.

"What cozy little beds" she said.

She went over to the beds and rested on three of them.

Lumen smiled when she saw the poor thing fall fast asleep.

"Hopefully she'll get a good night's rest" she said.

She covered a yawn with the back of her hand.

"Now that I think about it, I'm a little tired too" she said.

She really didn't get any rest since she started traveling. She spotted the vacant beds and couldn't help but find them inviting.

"I'm sure a little nap wouldn't hurt" she thought.

"I just hope Ven gets here quick"

She went over to the beds and slept on Doc, Happy and Dopey's beds.

Her eyes slowly closed as sleep consumed her.

/

_Lumen found herself standing on the white pillar again. The riddles glowed brightly, showing their crypt message._

_One heart fulfills all hearts._

_All hearts lead to the same heart._

_Lumen sighed._

"_Again with the riddles" she said._

"_Why can't I understand them?"_

_The second set of riddles reappeared under the first._

_In order to link everything together, the chains must be broken._

_However, to make the chain whole, you must gather all the pieces._

_A broken chain makes a whole chain._

"_I just don't understand any of this" Lumen said._

_She looked up to the sky for answers._

"_Please tell me what this means" she called out._

"_How does this relate to me?"_

_The pillar glowed before producing a picture. _

_Golden chains snaked their way from the edges and wrapped around the silhouette of a figure._

_The final part of the riddle glowed underneath the image._

_You are the chain that will link everything back together again._

"_How can I be the chain that links everything together?" she asked herself._

"_And who is that person wrapped in chains?"_

_She looked up at the sky again._

"_That wasn't a good clue!" she shouted._

"_Please help me understand!"_

_The ground crumbled around her once more, plunging her into the deepest darkness._

_The same voice appeared into her head as she blacked out._

"**Hey…can you hear me?"**

/

Lumen groaned when she felt someone poking her.

She was in the middle of getting a well deserved rest and someone had the nerve to interrupt it.

She rolled over and shooed the person away.

"Five more minutes" se groaned.

The poking continued until Lumen finally got tired of it and sat up.

"Would you please let me-"

She stopped when she saw that the person poking her was the dopey little man that she healed before. He had a huge grin on his face when he saw that she was awake.

Lumen blushed when she realized that she almost yelled at this innocent soul.

"O-oh, it's you" she said.

"You must be Dopey, right?"

Dopey smiled and nodded quickly.

Lumen chuckled a little when she realized that she was sleeping on his bed.

"Oh! I'm so sorry" she said.

"I didn't mean to sleep on your bed. I was just really tired from my travels and planned on taking a quick nap"

Dopey shook his head, showing that he didn't mind.

Lumen smiled some more.

She looked over to where Snow White was, only to find her sleeping spot empty.

She looked back at Dopey.

"Did you see a young lady wearing a yellow dress?" she asked.

Dopey nodded and pointed towards downstairs.

Lumen sighed. She hoped that the other little men didn't kick her out of their home. She would just have to explain everything.

Getting up from the bed, she offered her hand to Dopey.

"Why don't we go back to your friends? I'm sure their wondering where you are"

Dopey smiled and took her hand. He practically dragged her downstairs, where the other little men were gathered around Snow White.

They were all glaring at her when she came downstairs.

"It's one of the thieves!" Grumpy shouted.

Lumen gave him a dull glare.

"For the last time, I'm not a thief" she said.

"If I was, I would have stolen your diamonds instead of chasing you"

Snow White looked at them with a pleading look.

"Please don't be mean to her" she said.

"She helped me out and cleaned the house up. She's very nice"

Doc looked at her.

"Is that true?"

Lumen nodded.

"I even cleaned the dishes for you" she said.

"Now you don't have to eat off of them with caked on food"

Sleepy pulled a plate out and looked at it.

"It's true" he yawned.

"I can even see my face"

All the other little men awed at the sight while Grumpy 'humped'.

Ven came in just at that moment from his patrol.

"The coast is clear" he said.

"Not a monster in sight-huh?"

He jumped when he saw the little men in the house.

Grumpy stomped his foot.

"Couldn't stay away, couldja?" He taunted.

"And who invited you in, ya rotten thief?"

"He's no thief" Snow White insisted.

"He rescued me"

Doc looked at her.

"You fussin' be mooled-uh, mustn't be fooled by him, princess" he insisted.

Lumen sweat dropped.

Why was it that they were able to see that she wasn't a thief, but they couldn't with Ven? Was is because she was a girl?

"Just go on and git!" Grumpy snapped.

Snow White looked at them sadly.

"Please don't send him away" she said.

"You see, he and Lumen helped me when I was lost and oh, so very frightened"

"What happened?" Ven asked.

Snow White shuddered slightly.

"Well, I was picking flowers by the wood, and there was a stranger there" she said.

"He had a sword, but it was like a key-and then these monsters came and-"

Lumen paled slightly.

"A sword like a key" she repeated in a shaky voice.

Ven gasped.

"Terra!" he cried.

So that meant he was here on this world as well.

Doc's brows frowned.

"Ya mean this stranger saw ya and sent his horde of evil demons after ya?" he asked.

Lumen gasped in horror.

Terra would never do such a thing. He was always looking out for the weak. Why would he ever think about sending the Unversed after Snow White? Why would he ally with the Unversed in the first place?

Ven seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Terra would never do that!" he insisted.

"Oh, of course" Snow White said.

"I'm sure he wouldn't. Not when he's someone who's your friend"

"Princess! You trustn't be be so musting-er, trusting" Doc said.

"He's a-lyin'! Mark my words" Grumpy snapped.

Ven glared at them.

"I'll prove it!" he declared.

He stormed out of the house.

Lumen panicked. She was upset about them not believe in Terra, but she didn't want Ven to get hurt.

"Wait Ven!"

She quickly ran after him before he could get himself hurt.

/

Lumen made it to the forest before she caught up with Ven.

"Ven! Wait!" she cried.

Ven stopped when he heard her. He had a cold look on his face, showing that he wasn't in a good mood.

Lumen caught up with him and gave him a harsh look.

"How many times to I have to tell you not to run off?" she said.

Ven shook his head.

"But the things they said about Terra" he said.

"I have to prove to them that their wrong"

Lumen placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, and running off into unknown danger is proving a point?" she asked.

Ven looked away at that.

"This is why you shouldn't take things so seriously" she said.

"You don't think straight otherwise. They've never seen Terra, so they don't know what they're talking about. They're just assuming things"

"But what if they're right?" Ven insisted.

"What if that masked boy is right?"

Lumen squeezed his shoulders.

"They don't know Terra like we do" she said.

"Terra would never do those horrible things. He's a good person and you know that"

Ven slowly nodded.

"I just want to see him" he said.

Lumen smiled weakly.

"I know you do" she said.

"So let's go find him"

Ven smiled at that.

"Thanks"

They went to head for the meadow that Snow White talked about, but they were blocked by a huge tree Unversed.

The keyblade wielders glared as they summoned their weapons.

"Back off!" Ven cried.

Lumen carefully circled around the Unversed. She could tell that this wasn't one of the minor ones that she always ran into, but rather a boss kind. She needed to keep her guard up.

Ven dodge rolled out of the way when it swung its branches at him.

He landed next to Lumen and quickly thought of a plan.

"Maybe if we trip it, it won't knock us out with those braches"

Lumen nodded.

"We need to find a blind spot first" she said.

"Since it swings its branches around, it can see everything in the area. We need to attack in a spot where it can't see"

Ven smirked.

"I know just the thing"

He quickly darted off and caught the Unversed's attention.

"Hey! Over here!"

The Unversed turned to Ven and tried to attack him. Lumen realized that Ven was giving her the chance to get into the blind spot and quickly went into action. She ran behind the Unversed while it was facing Ven and aimed her keyblade at its stubby legs.

White chains spring forth and wrapped themselves around the stubs, burning them with its light. The Unversed yelped in pain, but it was too late.

Lumen pulled hard and caused the Unversed to topple over. It acted like when a turtle was tipped over on its shell and wiggled back and forth helplessly.

This was the perfect chance.

"Now Ven!"

Both jumped high into the air and slammed their keyblades into the bark of the tree Unversed.

The Unversed gave out a weak cry before it disappeared completely.

Ven smiled tiredly at Lumen when it was over.

"Nice work" he said.

Lumen wiped her forehead as she smiled.

"It was all thank to you distracting that thing" she said.

Ven laughed nervously, but quickly composed himself.

"Let's go find Terra" he said.

Lumen nodded and they quickly ran out of the forest.

/

Flowers bloomed all over the meadow when they ran out of the forest.

Ven searched the area desperately for his friend.

"Terra!" he called out.

He looked everywhere, but couldn't find his friend.

Lumen looked around sadly.

It meant that he wasn't here anymore.

"He must have left" she said.

Ven hung his head in defeat. He was so close to finding his friend and yet so far.

"Terra" he muttered quietly.

Lumen placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"It'll be ok" she said.

"You'll see"

Ven sighed sadly.

He jumped a little when he felt something bump against his foot and looked down to see a red apple. He picked up and examined it.

"Where did this come from?"

He looked around and saw an old lady carrying a basket of apples.

"This must be hers" he said.

He quickly went u to her before she left without her apple.

"Ven, wait" Lumen called.

Ven approached the old lady and held out the apple.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" he called out.

"You dropped this"

The old lady looked at the apple and had a wicked smile on her face.

"Oh, why thank you, my pet" she said.

Lumen narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the way this lady talked and the way she carried herself. There was so much darkness coming off of her that it made the air grow foul.

The old lady took the apple and placed it back into her basket.

"To tell the truth, I really don't know what I would have done without it" she said.

She noticed their keyblades and narrowed her eyes.

"Haven't I seen that sword before?" she questioned.

Ven looked at his keyblade.

"Terra has one" he said.

"You know Terra?"

The old lady scowled.

Oh, yes, yes…" she said.

"That ruffian pointed one of those at me, asking about some 'Xehanort'-my poor heart nearly stopped!"

Ven and Lumen looked alarmed.

Terra pointed a keyblade at an old woman? That didn't sound right at all. That wasn't him.

"That doesn't sound like him at all…" Lumen said.

Ven pressed the old woman further.

"Ma'am, where did Terra go?" he asked.

"I'm sure I have no idea…" she said.

"Must you all menace a poor granny so?"

Ven shook his head.

"No, I was just…"

The old lady simply walked off, leaving the two keyblade wielders to themselves.

Ven shook slightly.

"Terra, what did you do?" he muttered.

Lumen was upset as well, but she knew that she shouldn't believe those words. She knew Terra would never do something like that. He was a good person.

She placed her hand on Ven's shoulder to calm him down.

"Ven" she said.

Ven quickly shook her off and ran away. He had to know what was going on and standing here wouldn't solve it.

Lumen quickly panicked and ran after him.

"Ven!"

She tried to catch up with him, but he was long gone.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at the ground.

Her mind wandered back to Terra. Could it be possible that he could do something like that? She would admit that she thought he was acting a little strange since they went on this mission, but surely he didn't change so much that he would point a blade to an old woman?

That had to be wrong.

She placed a hand over her heart as she looked up at the sky.

"Terra…" she breathed.

"You would never do any of those things…right?"

Oh, how she wished it were true.

/

**A/N: So Lumen is starting to see the dark side of Terra's travels. How will she react when she learns more of the things that he did? Will it break her heart? Or worse?**

**I know the fighting scene sucked, but at least you got a long chapter.**

**Please review and tell me what you think! **

**Ja ne!**


	7. Enchanted Dominion

Chapter 7: Enchanted Dominion

**A/N: It seems Lumen is starting to see the ugly side of Terra. After hearing that he did something horrible, what will she do? How will she react the more she learns of his horrible deeds?**

**Epic news! I had to do a project for my Mythology class where I had to create my own Gods and Goddesses and give them a tale. I used Hikari and Ankoku and already have their pictures up on Deviantart. If you want to see the other members from this series turn into Greek gods and goddesses, then let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

"Ven! Ven, where are you?"

Lumen searched aimlessly as she speed through the between lanes. After hearing that Terra pointed his keyblade at an old woman and supposedly summoned Unversed to harm Snow White, the young boy left Dwarf Woodlands and ran off to who knows where.

The young keyblade wielder was panicking. She was worried where Ven might have run off to, but she was also worried about Terra. Could he have really done those horrible things? Would he really harm people just so he could find Master Xehanort? And what about the Unvsered? Her father told them that they were to destroy them, not use them. Could the darkness in his heart be so bad that is was luring the Unversed to him?

She gripped the handlebars to her keyblade glider. She didn't want to believe these rumors. She knew Terra better than anyone else. What could these strangers possibly know about him that she didn't?

Terra was a good man, she knew it. His heart was in the right place.

"_Terra would never go that low for anything" _she thought.

She pushed her glider to the max as she headed for the next world.

She had not only the Unversed to defeat, but Ven to find.

"_Please be alright" _she thought.

/

The next world that she landed on was a lot like Castle of Dreams. While it wasn't as pretty as the first world that she went to, it was still enchanted. The castle had an old, vintage feeling to it that was hard to copy.

She admired the paints that were hanging on the walls.

"Almost like it was from a fairy tale" she said.

She searched the castle to find that there was no one around. She knew that is wasn't abandoned since it was so well kept and decorative. Perhaps there was a reason for that?

"Could there be a ball or something?" she thought.

She carefully went up a set of grand stairs searched the upper floor. She couldn't sense any Unvsered here, but that didn't mean she could keep her guard down. She still had to find Ven.

She peered through the hallways to see if her friend was anywhere.

"Ven?" she called out.

She went up to a thick wooden door and slowly pushed it open. She peered her head inside to see if Ven would be in here.

"Ven, are you in here?"

She didn't find Ven, but she found a young princess sleeping in a bed.

"Oh my" she whispered.

She quietly went into the room and tip toed towards the sleeping princess. She found it rather odd that the only person she could find in this castle was a sleeping princess.

"Why is she asleep when it's sunny out?" she wondered.

She studied the princess a bit more and sensed light pouring out of her being. It was so gentle and pure that there wasn't even a single speck of darkness.

"Just like Cinderella and Snow White" she said.

She waved her keyblade over the sleeping princess and saw dark magic coming off of her. It wasn't coming from the princess herself, but rather someone else. Someone siding with the darkness.

"Someone must have placed a spell on her to stay asleep" she guessed.

She looked out of the window to see a dark, gloomy castle off into the distance.

She narrowed her eyes.

"And I think I've figured out where it's coming from"

She turned to the sleeping princess and gently placed her hand over hers.

"Don't worry" she said.

"I'll break this spell off of you"

She carefully left the room and stormed out of the castle.

/

Lumen ran through a forest that stood between the Enchanted Castle and Dark Castle in the horizon. She noticed that it too was lacking and living beings.

"Not even the birds are chirping" she noted.

"Could it be that this world is placed under the same spell as the princess?"

She looked around the forest and found that everything did seem to be put under a spell.

"This is very powerful magic" she said.

"Whoever did this must be very dangerous"

She walked through the forest and felt the dark magic grow stronger and stronger as she walked.

"This darkness is so foul. It almost makes me sick to my stomach"

Unversed appeared in front of her and swarmed around her.

"It seems their reacting to the darkness too" Lumen said.

She summoned her keyblade tried fighting them. These Unversed were a lot tougher than the ones that she encountered from the last worlds. It was as if the darkness around this place was giving them a boost of strength. When she finished fighting them, she felt worn out.

"If this is how strong the Unversed are getting, then I'm not going to look forward to this world" she said.

She looked at the path in front of her and saw that it was more barren and desolate than the rest of the forest. It seemed that she was getting closer to the castle.

"I hope I can find Terra or Ven" she said.

"I don't like this darkness"

She slowly made her way through the winding path that would lead her to the dark castle.

/

The darkness was so thick around the castle. It was so foul and rotten that not even the plants could handle it.

Lumen gulped as she looked up at the castle. This was where the spell was coming from. It was so strong and powerful that it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. She had never felt such strong darkness before and it was making her sick.

"I wonder if Terra or Ven are here?" she wondered.

"I hope not"

She swallowed her nerves and slowly headed for the castle. With darkness this foul, she knew that Unversed were lurking everywhere.

"Lumen?"

The keyblade wielder turned around to see Aqua standing not too far from here. She was so relieved to see a familiar friendly face that she ran up to her best friend and hugged her tightly.

"Aqua!" she cried.

"Oh, I'm so happy to see you right now. This place is giving me the creeps"

Aqua laughed a little as she hugged her best friend back.

"I'm glad to see that you're still in one piece" she said.

"But what are you doing here?"

Lumen stepped back as her smiled dimmed.

"I came looking for Ven" she said.

"I ran into him on the last world that I was on. He must have ran off because he was looking for Terra. I would have brought him back home, but he got away from me"

Aqua sighed sadly.

"That's the reason why I'm here" she said.

"The Master found out that Ven snuck off and he ordered me to find him and bring him home. I don't know what's gotten into him, but he can't be out here. It's too dangerous"

Lumen nodded sadly.

"He said that Terra was changing and that he wanted to make sure it wasn't true" she said.

"I don't know why he would think that or why Terra would change, but…I'm really worried"

Aqua squeezed her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure it's just a bunch of lies" she said.

"You know Terra better than any of us, and I'm sure Ven is just worried that Terra will get hurt from his travels. There's nothing to worry about"

Lumen gave her a weak smile. She couldn't tell Aqua what she learned about Terra from the last world. She just couldn't. Maybe it was a bunch of lies and maybe she was overthinking things. But even so, she couldn't tell her best friend. This was something for her to figure out and she would solve it on her own.

Aqua smiled at her before frowning when she looked up at the castle.

"What's that?"

Lumen looked at the castle as well and saw a ball of light flying away from it and heading towards the forest.

The two girls looked at each other before looking back at the castle.

"I think we should look inside" Aqua said.

Lumen nodded as she bit her lip. She didn't like the aura this castle was giving off, but she knew she had to go inside.

The two girls, slowly but cautiously headed for the castle. Since they could sense darkness coming from it, they didn't want to take any chances.

"The Unversed have been acting different on this world than they have on the last worlds that I've been to" Lumen pointed out.

"It's as if they're reacting to the darkness here. Almost like they're feeding off of it"

Aqua sighed.

"Then it's as the Master fears" she said.

"The worlds really are in danger"

Lumen gripped her keyblade tightly when they reached the entrance of the castle.

"Should we expect the worse when we go in here?" she asked.

Aqua looked up at the castle.

"Considering the vast amount of darkness that is coming from here…yeah"

Lumen hung her head.

"Figured"

They slowly went into the castle and prepared for the worse.

/

Pressing themselves against a wall, Lumen and Aqua tried to make sure that there weren't any enemies lurking around.

Aqua peered around the edge to see a couple of demonic looking guards carrying very sharp weapons.

She sighed when she looked back to Lumen.

"How skilled are you with defensive magic?" she asked.

Lumen ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm nearly as good as my father, why?" she asked.

Aqua gave her a grim look.

"Because we might need them"

Lumen nodded and peered over the side to see the guards as well.

"Why must the bad guys always get the good weapons?" she whined.

Aqua chuckled a little before she summoned her keyblade.

"Because it would make things super boring for us"

Lumen cracked a smirk before following Aqua's example.

They steadied themselves for a second before running from their hiding spot and headed for the guards. The demonic beings spotted them right away and aimed their weapons at them.

"Intruders!"

A couple of guards fried arrows at them while others threw spears. Lumen quickly got in front of Aqua and cast a shield around them, deflecting their weapons. Aqua took this as the chance to fire off a few spells and burnt the guards with a series of fire spells. The guards squealed like pigs as they ran around, trying to put the fire out of their clothes.

Lumen and Aqua quickly ran from them while they were distracted and ran further into the castle.

"At least the guards around here aren't smart" Lumen said.

Aqua nodded as she knocked a guard out with her keyblade.

"But they multiply like rabbits" she replied.

They ran down a broken set of stairs and were greeted by a group of guards protecting the doors that lead into the castle.

All of them brandish their weapons and made growling noises.

Lumen and Aqua looked at each other before they smirked.

"I think now would be a good time to try out those spells we were working on" Lumen said.

Aqua smirked.

"I like the way you think" she stated.

They both got into a fighting stance. Aiming all of their magic into their keyblades, they cast they're new spells.

"Bubble Blast!" Aqua cried.

"Feather Blades!"

Bubbles shot out of Aqua's keyblade while feathers came out of Lumen's.

The projectiles flew at the guards. The bubbles would burst when they hit the guards, knocking them out from the impact while the feathers would pin them to the walls.

The two girls high fived each other when they saw their spells had worked.

"And Terra and Ven said we would never fight well together" Aqua teased.

Lumen rolled her eyes playfully.

"Men" she said.

They quickly ran into the castle to see if they could find the person who placed this world under a spell.

/

The interior matched perfectly with the exterior of the castle. It was dark, gloomy and depressing. While the castle that Lumen first saw was filled with life, this castle was simply filled with death.

It was so hard to see where she was going since it was so dark out, but at least she had Aqua to help lead the way.

"Who would ever want to live in a place like this?" Lumen asked.

"Someone who sides with the darkness" Aqua replied.

The two of them slowly made their way down the crumbling corridors. There were no sign of the Unversed or guards, but that didn't mean they were safe. If the hired help weren't in here, then that meant the master of this castle was.

As they made their way into what looked like a giant chamber, they heard a familiar voice.

"There's no way Terra would hurt someone like that!"

Lumen gasped when she realized that was Ven's voice.

Looking ahead, she found the boy talking to a dark sorceress. There was so much darkness coming off of the woman that it made Lumen sick.

The sorceress had an evil smirk as she looked at Ven.

"You don't believe me?" she asked.

"That's unfortunate, for he agreed so easily"

Ven looked hurt.

"He did?" he asked.

Lumen gasped slightly. What was this sorceress talking about? Did Terra do something awful on this world as well? Did he try to hurt someone while he was trying to get rid of the Unversed?

"_Terra…" _she thought.

"_Just what in the world are you thinking?"_

Aqua looked from Ven to Lumen. She had a feeling that Lumen was thinking the same thing with the hurt look on her face. It seemed that what Master Eraqus said was coming true. The darkness in Terra's heart was affecting him after all. She couldn't tell her best friend the real reason she was on this mission, but that didn't mean she had to see her suffer. She knew Terra was a good person and would never hurt someone.

This sorceress was lying.

Grabbing Lumen's hand, she ran into the chamber.

"Ven! Don't be fooled!" she cried.

Ven jumped and turned to see them running.

"Aqua! Lumen!" he cried.

Lumen managed to compose herself for Ven's sake. He was shaking up by what this sorceress said; he didn't need to see her being shaken up as well.

She gave him a harsh stare as she remembered him running off from their last world.

"You got a lot of nerve running away from me like that" she said.

"I told you to head back home once we found things out"

Ven hung his head shamefully.

"I'm sorry" he said.

Aqua placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Terra would never do that" she said.

"You know that as well as we do"

Ven looked at Aqua with a slight blush on his face.

"Yeah!" he said.

The sorceress just cackled darkly.

"Ahh…the truth can be most cruel even among the closest of friends" she said.

"After all, one never knows the secrets of another's heart. Surely you agree…Ventus…Aqua…Lumen"

Lumen glared at the sorceress. How dare she talk badly of Terra?

Not only that, but how did she know all of their names?

She didn't like this witch.

"And just what do you know?" she asked.

"What gives you the right to judge other people in such a way? What makes you think that you know our friend better than we do? You have no right to say such things when you don't have any proof, so don't you dare spout such lies"

The sorceress looked at her for a moment before she glared.

"You poor, naïve child" she said.

"Your heart is so blinded by light that you cannot even see into the darkest depths of a person's heart"

Lumen glared back at her.

"I'm smart enough to know what kind of person Terra really is" she said.

"He would never do the things that you claim he's done. His heart is in the right place"

The sorceress raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh? What where do you suppose that right place might be?" she asked.

"The realm of light? Or the realm of darkness? Only Terra can know the answer"

Lumen stomped her foot.

"Stop speaking in riddles!" she snapped.

Aqua squeezed her arm, trying to calm her down.

"She's just getting you worked up" she said.

"Don't listen to her"

She turned to Ven.

"The Master sent me" she said.

"Ven…let's go home"

Ven looked at Aqua's outstretched hand, then at the floor.

"But Terra…" he said.

Aqua gave him a sympathetic look.

"Terra's not ready to leave yet" she said.

Lumen turned to Ven.

"We still need to do our mission" she said.

"Just go home where we know you'll be safe and sound"

Ven looked at the ground, mulling it over.

When he finally looked at them, he had a sad, yet determined look in his eyes.

"Sorry, Aqua, Lumen" he said.

"But I can't go with you. It's just…I have to find him before it's too late!"

With that, he quickly ran off.

"Ven!" Lumen cried.

She went to run after him, but the sorceress stopped her.

"Ah, I see you both wield a keyblade as well" she said.

Lumen and Aqua looked at each other before looking at the sorceress.

How did she know about the Keyblade?

"How do you know about the Keyblade?" Aqua asked.

The sorceress smirked darkly.

"A source of power…" she said.

"A key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds…and allows one to obtain anything and everything. Such power I find most fascinating"

Lumen gulped and looked down at her keyblade.

Could that be what she meant when she said Terra harmed someone? Did he use his Keyblade to unlock something?

"So, Terra…he really…" she said in a shaky voice.

The sorceress smiled darkly, knowing that her words were affecting the girl.

"Yes, my dear" she said.

"Now would you like to assist me as well?"

Lumen's entire body shook. So Terra really did those horrible things. He really did harm people. The darkness affecting him so bad that he was doing things the he normally wouldn't do.

And what made it worse was that this evil woman was expecting the same from her.

She didn't know what Terra did wrong on this world, but she wasn't going to do the same thing.

She glared up at the sorceress and went into a fighting stance.

"Never!" she cried.

Aqua quickly joined her and aimed her keyblade at the witch.

The sorceress had a sour look on her face.

"I see, Xehanort was right" she said.

"You're rather stubborn girls"

The two girls gasped.

Xehanort? As is Master Xehanort?

Lumen knew something was off with the old Keyblade Master, but she didn't expect this.

Was he siding with this witch? Was he siding with darkness?

"Master Xehanort?" Aqua asked.

"How do you-"

The witch held her staff high.

"It seems you both need time to consider my offer" she said.

"Fortunately, I have the perfect place"

Slamming her staff down, the ground surrounding Lumen and Aqua caved in and collapsed on them. They fell to the bottom level of the castle where they were knocked out.

The last thing that Lumen could hear was that same voice from her dreams.

"**Hey…can you hear me?'**

/

_(Flash back)_

_The cool night breeze blew through Lumen's hair as she looked up at the stars. Tonight was the 7__th__ anniversary of her mother's death. She spent the day with her father, knowing that he would be feeling depressed all day. She tried to keep on a positive mask for him, but now, she felt numb inside. _

_She couldn't believe that it had been seven years since she lost her mother. _

_She had cried her heart out so much over the loss of someone that she loved so much that she couldn't produce any more tears. Her heart was shattered and there seemed to be no way to repair it. _

_How could her mother die? _

_She was always healthy, so she couldn't have gotten sick. She never fought so there was no way she perish from a fight. So why did it happen? It was so strange and scary. It was as if something suddenly happened to her that made her end her life. _

_She closed her eyes sadly as she placed her hands over her heart._

'_Oh mother' she thought. _

'_How could this have happened to you? Why couldn't I notice anything wrong? If I had been stronger or more alterative, then you would still be here with father and I'_

_That was the whole reason why she decided to wield the keyblade. After losing her mother, she feared that she would lose someone else that she dearly loved. Like her father. _

_Eraqus was starting to get older now and wasn't as agile as he used to be. The day would come where he wouldn't be able to protect her anymore, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and learned to protect herself and others. She didn't want others dying for her, so she wanted to defend herself._

_That way, if she did, then she wouldn't lose something that she loved most._

_A hand placed itself on her shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts._

_Turning around, she saw Terra giving her a sad, yet gentle look._

"_Hey" he said._

"_How are you doing?"_

_Every year, he would check up on her to see how she was coping with the loss of her mother. He had been doing this since the day they first met._

_Lumen looked at the ground for a moment before looking up at the sky._

"_The same as I always feel each year"_

"_Sad and confused"_

_Terra gave her a sad look._

"_You know as well as I do that it wasn't your fault that your died" he said._

"_Even your father has told you that"_

_Lumen hugged herself as she looked at the ground._

"_Just because he believes that, doesn't mean that __**I**__ do" she said._

"_If I had been stronger…if I had been more alterative to what was going on with my mother…then she would still be here with us"_

_Terra sighed sadly. It always tore him up to see her like this. He would always see the little girl crying by the lake._

_He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the stars._

"_Your father said you've been training really hard lately" he said._

"_He said that he's worried about you"_

_Lumen bit her lip._

"_It's nothing to worry about" she said._

"_I just need to get stronger"_

_Terra looked at her. _

"_That's fine, but you don't have to push yourself too far" he said._

"_You'll wind up hurting yourself if you do"_

_Lumen looked at him._

"_I rather it be me than anyone else" she said._

"_I don't want anyone to die for me. I lost my mother, I won't lose anyone else"_

_She jumped a little when she felt Terra wrap his arms around her. He pressed his face into the base of her neck and held her tightly._

"_You don't have to shoulder all of this by yourself" he said._

_Lumen closed her eyes and placed her hands over his._

"_I know, but it's the only way" she said._

"_I don't want to see anyone get hurt"_

_Terra pressed his cheek into her shoulder blade._

"_You won't have to see that happen" he said._

"_Not while I'm around"_

_He let her go and turned her around so she could face him. _

"_On this day, I swear to you that nothing bad will happen" he said._

_He knelt down and bowed to her as if he were a knight._

"_On my life, I swear to protect you. My arm shall be your blade, my body shall be your shield. I will carry your pain, your suffering, your loneliness. I swear to protect you always. I will strike where you tell me to strike, fight whom you tell me to fight. I will never let you get hurt, nor will I let you die. But most of all…"_

_He looked up at her._

"_I will never betray you"_

_Lumen placed a hand over her mouth. She had never seen this side of Terra before. His speech was so moving and romantic. It was like stepping into a fairy tale._

_A tear slipped from her face as she smiled at him._

"_You can be really cheesy, Terra" she said._

"_But that's what I love about you"_

_Terra chuckled as he stood up. _

"_What can I say?" he said as he held her close._

"_I'm just the knight vowing to protect his princess"_

/

"Lumen! Lumen!"

With a slight groan, Lumen opened her eyes to see Aqua hovering over her. The keyblade master sighed with relief when she saw that her best friend was alright.

"Thank goodness you're alright" she said.

"You hit your head pretty hard when we fell"

Lumen slowly sat up and looked at her surroundings. They crashed into what appeared to be a jail cell of some sorts. There were barred windows and chains hanging on the walls with a few skeletons attached to them.

Lumen also noticed that they weren't alone and that someone was in the room as well. A young man was chained to a bench and looked just as surprised as they were.

"Who are you?" the man asked them.

Aqua helped Lumen up and addressed to the man.

"I'm Aqua, and this is my friend, Lumen" she said.

"It looks like we were caught in a trap"

Lumen nodded as she nursed the bump that formed on her head.

"Why are you here?" she asked the man.

The man looked at his chained wrists.

"To prevent me from breaking her evil curse" he said.

"I was to meet the most beautiful girl at a cottage in the glen, but now my true love lies in an eternal slumber…and only I can break the spell"

"Slumber" Lumen muttered.

She thought back to the sleeping princess she found back at the castle. Could this be the same princess this man was talking about? And could he really be the only one to break the spell that was placed on this world?

"_I have so many questions, yet so little answers" _she thought.

Aqua smiled softly.

"You must really love her" she said.

"Is what you said true?"

The three of them turned around to see three fairies fly into the room.

The man nodded.

"Yes. Maleficent told me" he said.

"_So that's what that evil sorceress's name is" _Lumen thought.

"_It fits her perfectly"_

The fairy in red gasped.

"Oh, Prince Philip! It's you!" she cried.

She quickly went over to him and released him from his bonds. Philip quickly stood up and rubbed his wrists to get rid of the sore feeling they had for being chained up.

"Now, Philip" the red fairy said.

"The road to true love may be barred by many more dangers which alone you will have to face"

Philip nodded in understanding. If he was willing to get trapped by Maleficent, then he wasn't going to give up now.

Aqua and Lumen looked at each other. They knew that they couldn't get involved with the affairs of the worlds, but they were moved by how far Philip was willing to go for his princess. It could be that they were girls and were considered suckers for these kind of things. But they also wanted to know how Maleficent knew Master Xehanort and the keyblade. There were too many questions that needed to be answered.

"We're going with you" Aqua said.

"There's something we need to know and Maleficent has the answers"

"We've ran into a few of Maleficent's goons when we came here" Lumen said.

"It would be a good idea to have someone with you who knows how they fight. And you can never be too safe in this castle. Especially if it's housing an evil sorceress like Maleficent"

The three fairies nodded.

"Very well then"

"Now we must hurry back to Princess Aurora"

Philip grabbed his sword and shield.

"Let's hurry" he said.

"The longer we stay here, the stronger the spell becomes"

They quickly ran out of the cell and headed upstairs.

/

As they made it to the main level of the castle, the three of them became as quiet as ever. They wanted to get out the castle, but they didn't want to attract the attention of the guards. They didn't know how many guards Maleficent put out, but they weren't going to chance it.

Philip took the front and made sure it was safe for Aqua and Lumen to follow. Even though they were capable of protecting themselves, they still found it charming that they had a gentleman who was willing to get hurt instead of them. It was rare to find a man like that (except for Terra).

As they made it closer to the entrance of the castle, they were starting to wonder if Maleficent even put any guards out to patrol.

"That's weird" Lumen said.

"There were tons of guards when we came into the castle, so why aren't there any when we're trying to get out? Do you think it's a trap?"

Aqua shook her head.

"I can't say" she said.

"I'm glad that we haven't ran into any trouble, but I can't help but feel like this way too easy"

Lumen sighed.

Something was off and they knew it. They didn't know what it was.

"We'll, let's just get out of here alive" she said.

"That's our main priority"

They went up a flight of stairs and quickly made their way to the entrance. Little did they know, Maleficent's pet raven, Diablo was on watch and spotted the three of them making a run for it. The raven let out a great caw and summoned all of the guards into the room.

The three heroes quickly skidded to a halt when they saw how many guards came pooling in.

"I guess that explains why we haven't seen anyone" Lumen said.

"It was a trap" Philip said.

They quickly armed themselves and clashes with the guards. They may have been weak, but they made that up with their numbers. When one went down, two more came in its places. Philip pushed them back by using his sword and shield while Aqua and Lumen defended by casting protective shields against themselves. It was a difficult battle, since they were in such a tight area where there was not enough room to move around and dodge things. But they were able to hold out a lot longer than the puny guards and were able to defeat them before they ran out into an open area.

Aqua spotted the gate that they came in and pointed towards it.

"There's the gate!" she cried.

"Hurry!"

They ran for it, acting like it was their last life line (and in some ways, it was) but just when they nearly reached it, the gate suddenly closed and locked them up into the castle.

"What?" Philip cried.

The guards appeared on the upper level, carrying large boulders and dangerous weapons. They quickly ran into a corner, where they would be safe for the time being until they came up with a plan.

"How do we open the gate?" Philip asked.

"That's our only way out of here"

Lumen peered around the corner to see if she could find anything that could get them out of here. She found her answer when she spotted a set of levers on the upper floor where the guards were.

She quickly looked to Aqua.

"Aqua! Can jump up there and hit the levers?"

Aqua studied the structure of the wall and the height of it.

"I think I can, but not by myself" she said.

"I can give you a boost" Philip said.

Lumen nodded when she formed a plan.

"Good. I'll distract the guards while you two open the gates. I should be able to hold them off for a few minutes, but try to hurry"

Aqua and Philip nodded at the idea.

"Let's hurry" Philip said.

Lumen nodded and quickly ran from the hiding spot, drawing the guards attention.

"Hey! Try and get me you losers!"

The guards focused on Lumen, who was out in the open while Aqua and Philip snuck around the ledge, trying to stay out of sight.

Lumen gulped down her nerves. She didn't know if she could hold all of these guards off, but she couldn't risk having Aqua and Philip get spotted.

Letting out a shaky breath, she launched her first attack. Using the feather blades spell, she managed to pin the guards with the cross bows to the wall. The ones hold the boulders were a little tricky since they couldn't be pushed back by the weight of the rocks they were carrying. Since the feather blade spell wouldn't work on them, she had to use another spell of hers that she created.

Clapping her hands over her head, she chanted her next spell.

"Angel Wings!"

Translucent looking blades appeared behind Lumen and hovered near her back, taking the form of wings. This was her mother's signature move from when she was a keyblade master, and she worked very hard trying to master this spell. She pointed towards one of the guards holding a boulder and had one of the blades fly past her and impaled itself into the guard. Lumen did this a few times, by pointing out her targets and having the blades magically fly out and hit them. It looked amazing, but was very complicated to perform. You had to use a lot of concentration on each of the blades you summoned and focus on your target while keeping the other blades in check. That was why her mother was known as Serenity the spotlight for her marksmanship and for her high level of focus.

With the guards down, Aqua was able to fix the lever and cause the gates to go up.

Aqua quickly flipped off the ledge and landed next to Lumen.

"Hurry!" she cried.

They quickly ran out of the castle before Maleficent's goons arrived.

/

Everyone collapsed when they reached the forest. They ran as fast as they could from Maleficent's castle; fearing that the guards would chase after them.

"Is everyone ok?" Lumen asked when she finally caught her breath.

Aqua nodded as she held her side.

"That was close" she said.

"I thought we were done for. That was a smart move on your part for using that trick, Lumen"

Philip nodded as he wiped his forehead.

"I've never seen female knights fight like that before" he said.

Lumen smirked tiredly.

"Well, you've seen a lot of strange things today, haven't you?" she joked.

She pulled out a few potion bottles and gave them to everyone.

"This should recover your strength" she said.

"We may have gotten out of Maleficent's castle, but that doesn't mean we're out of the danger yet"

Aqua nodded in understanding as she drank her potion.

"So what do we have to do next?" she asked.

"We have to go see Aurora" Philip said.

"I'm the only one who can break the spell that has been placed upon her"

"Sounds like a plan to me" Lumen said.

"Let's go before those guards catch up to us"

They quickly finished their potions and headed towards the enchanted castle, where Princess Aurora resided.

/

The castle was within their line of sight as they ran across the bridge.

They were so close to breaking this spell that they could feel it.

Nothing could stop them now…or at least, that's what they thought.

Even though they managed to get away from Maleficent's castle, they didn't get away from her. The evil sorceress could see them from the top of her castle. She snarled when she noticed how close they were to ruining her plans.

She waited too long for this moment and she wasn't going to let a couple of keyblade brats ruin it.

Holding her staff up high, she spun it around as she cast her spell.

"A forest of thorns shall be your tomb…wound 'round the castle in a bower of doom!"

Dark thorns sprouted around the area and covered the entire castle.

The three warriors skidded to a stop when they were blocked by a wall of thorns. Philip tried cutting them down, but it was pointless. There were so many of them that you couldn't even see through to the other side.

Green flames erupted in front of them and produced Maleficent. If she wanted her plans to continue, she would have to take care of them herself.

Lumen and Aqua glared at the evil sorceress.

"Maleficent! What did Master Xehanort tell you?" Aqua demanded.

They knew that this would probably be the only time that they would get their answers from her. If they were going to fight her, then it was probably a good idea to ask questions first.

The evil sorceress just scoffed at them.

"Such a pity, that you both didn't have Terra's gift for obedience" she said.

"Nor can you see how easy it was for him"

Lumen growled and went to lunge for her, but was held back by Aqua.

"Terra would never do anything for you!" she cried.

He would never side with anyone from the darkness. He swore to her that he would always protect her and stay by her side. He vowed to always be her knight. But most of all, he swore that he would never betray her. If he sided with the darkness, then that would mean he broke his vow.

Maleficent just smirked.

"Quite the contrary" she said.

"He fully embraced the darkness within himself"

Lumen felt her skin go pale.

Was that true? Did he really have no control over the darkness in his heart? Would he really stoop so low as to give in to his heart?

No. That couldn't be true. Terra was strong; he would never let his darker half get the better of him.

This had to be a lie.

"Stop lying!" she cried.

Maleficent just laughed darkly and threw her arms out. Darkness poured out of her body as she slowly transformed.

"See for yourself-all the powers of hell!" she cried.

Her body slowly grew and morphed into a demonic looking dragon. Green flames spewed from her mouth as she snapped her teeth at them.

Philip got in front of Aqua and Lumen. He held his shield up high when Maleficent spewed fire at them.

"Stay behind me!" he cried.

Aqua squeezed Lumen's shoulder. She knew her friend was shaken up by Maleficent's words, but she needed her to snap out of it. She couldn't let her fight when her mind was a mess.

"Remember what I said" she said.

"You know Terra better than anyone else. Don't let her words sway what your heart truly believes"

Lumen looked at Aqua and gave her a weak smile.

"Thanks Aqua"

Aqua smiled and held her keyblade up.

"Now let's go defeat this dragon"

Lumen nodded.

"Right"

Aqua ran out from behind Philip and started attacking Maleficent. She was a keyblade master, and it was her duty to protect her best friend.

Lumen shoved Philip towards her.

"Help her" she said.

"I'll cover you both"

Philip nodded and quickly aided Aqua as she fought the dragon.

Lumen cast protective enchantments around them all as Maleficent continued to bite them and spew fire. Philip would add his protection as well, but his shield could only do so much. A shield could protect their front side, but magic could protect them entirely.

Lumen tired attacking Maleficent, but she wasn't nearly as strong as Aqua. All she could do was block the dragon's attacks and have them reflect off of her.

It amazed her how she was able to stay alive this long.

Maleficent realized that fighting them on the ground wasn't helping, so she took it into the air. Her massive body soared around the bridge as she attacked them from afar.

Aqua and Lumen tried using their far range spells, but it had no effect on her.

Maleficent hovered over them and tried biting at them with her sharp fangs.

Philip pulled Lumen out of the way, but Aqua was in line of Maleficent's mouth. Just as the dragon was about to bite her head off, Lumen panicked.

"Aqua!" she cried.

She slammed her keyblade into the ground and had chains spring up from the ground. They wrapped themselves around Maleficent and slam her into the ground. The dragon let out a roar as the chains burned her with their light.

As Lumen kept Maleficent pinned, she urged Philip to attack.

"Now, Philip!"

The prince held up his sword and flung it like a spear. The blade implanted itself into Maleficent's chest, burying itself deep within her heart.

The evil sorceress let out an anguished cry as she went up in green flames. With Maleficent gone, the spell around the castle was broken. The thorns disappeared, leaving the enchanted castle free from its hold.

Lumen looked at Philip and smiled at him.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"Your princess is waiting for you"

Philip smiled and nodded to her in gratitude.

"Thank you for this" he said.

"I will forever be in your debt"

With that, he ran off for the castle, where his princess waited for him to set her free.

Lumen smiled as she watched Philip leave. It seemed like this world would get their fairytale ending after all.

She staggered a little when she realized how drained she was from using her magic.

"Lumen!" Aqua cried.

She steadied her when she started to fall.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

Lumen nodded.

"I will be"

Aqua sighed with relief before she gave her a stern glare. She was furious that her best friend would use a powerful spell that her father forbid her to use.

"Lumen, you used that spell" she said.

Lumen flinched when she realized she was going to get a lecture.

"I know…" she said.

Aqua placed her hands on her hips.

"Your father has told you countless of times to never use it!" she said.

"Why in the world would you disobey him?"

Lumen gave her a sad, annoyed expression.

"I used it because my best friend was about to get eaten by a dragon" she said.

Aqua's angry expression faded at those words.

Lumen sighed and held her side.

"I know I'm not supposed to use that spell" she said.

"But your life is more important to me than my father's rules"

Aqua sighed.

She did have point. Lumen would always throw away her logic for the sake of her friends. Because to her, her friends where what made her sane.

She pulled Lumen into a tight hug.

"Thanks for looking out for me" she said.

"But promise me that you won't use that spell. I worry about you too, you know"

Lumen chuckled and hugged her in return.

"No promises there" she said.

"But for you, I'll try"

The two friends shared their tender moment. It was hard having such an understanding friend. Lumen and Aqua cherished their friendship greatly and treasured each moment that they could share.

Their moment was interrupted when they heard someone wheezing painfully.

Even thought Philip struck Maleficent down, he didn't kill her. It would take more than a mere sword to finish an evil sorceress.

Said evil sorceress was limping away from the castle. Her plans were ruined thanks to that horrid prince and the wielders of the keyblade.

Aqua and Lumen glared at her.

"It's the power of true love that defeated you" Aqua said.

And it was true. Philip was able to defeat Maleficent because of his love and devotion to princess Aurora.

Maleficent growled at the mention of love.

"I will not be defeated by something as insignificant as love" she said.

Lumen sneered.

"You don't even know the first thing about love" she said.

"You're too clouded by darkness to see that there's something greater. Try all you want, but you will never defeat a heart filled with light"

Maleficent growled.

"Perhaps…" she said.

"But remember one thing-as long as there is light, there will be darkness. And in time, many more will be drawn to it. Then they will all belong to me!"

Lumen shook her head.

"There you go again with that silly belief" she said.

"A person could never be in control of other hearts. The only heart you can control is your own. But after what I've seen…I don't think you even have control of your own"

Maleficent glared at her.

"You have some nerve to say such things to me" she hissed.

"Especially since your precious Terra has no control over his own heart"

Anger coursed through Lumen's veins at that.

Casting a simple binding spell, she froze Maleficent and tugged at her robes so she was eye-to-eye with her.

"Stop claiming that you know Terra!" she cried.

"You keep saying that he let the darkness take control of him, but I know him better than you. I know his heart is too strong to give in like that"

Maleficent just laughed wickedly.

"You poor, naïve child" she said.

"This just proves that the power of love has made you blind. You're so lost in its powers that you can't even see what Terra really is. You have my sympathy"

That set Lumen off. How dare this witch call her stupid?

She used her chain spell and wrapped Maleficent in a vice grip.

"Lumen!" Aqua cried.

Lumen held her keyblade out to warn her friend to stay out of this.

Maleficent continued to laugh.

"So this is the power that Master Xehanort was talking about" she said.

"Now I understand why he's so interested in you"

The caught Aqua and Lumen's attention.

Master Xehanort knew about Lumen's powers?

"What did Master Xehanort tell you?" Aqua demanded.

Maleficent just smirked.

"Let's just say that he's interested in a certain type of power" she said.

"A power that can bring fourth many hearts together"

She looked at Lumen as if she were her prey.

"I must say, I've never encountered anyone with your type of power" she said.

"I look forward to making it mine"

Lumen glared at her and aimed her keyblade at her throat.

"The day that you encounter with someone like me with be your end" she said.

Maleficent just laughed.

"We shall see"

With that, she erupted into green flames.

Aqua looked up at the sky.

Her mind went to Terra. She wondered if what Maleficent said was true.

"Terra…you better stay strong for us" she said.

She looked at Lumen to see her looking at the ground. All her raw emotions from before came flooding forward. A few tears fell from her eyes as she thought about what Maleficent said.

Could it be that Terra really did let the darkness control his heart? She didn't want to believe it, but all the proof from her previous travels proved against it. First he attacked an elderly woman and now he possibly helped Maleficent.

She was trying so hard to believe that it was all a lie, but her heart was starting to tell her that it was the truth.

She thought back about Terra's promise to her. How he would protect her and would never betray her.

"Terra…" she breathed.

"You couldn't have betrayed me…could you?"

Aqua simply hugged her friend in support. She believed that the darkness was getting to Terra's heart, but she refused to say anything to Lumen about it. She was upset enough about it.

Perhaps what Maleficent said was true. Perhaps true love really could blind you from reality.

Or perhaps it brought out the darker side of your heart.

Lumen desperately hoped that wasn't true.

/

**A/N: Poor Lumen, she's starting to see that Terra really is having the darkness consume him. Kind of reminds you of a certain heroine who went through the same thing with her knight? ^-^**

**Speaking of which, I'm sure you caught on to that little foreshadowing note when Lumen said to Maleficent that the next time she meets a person like her would be her end. Now who could that be?**

**And what does Master Xehanort want to do with Lumen's special powers? What are they for that matter? What can they do?**

**Next up, we get to see where everything leads up to the main story of this series!**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	8. Radiant Garden

Chapter 8: Radiant Garden

**A/N: Yes I'm back! Taking classes while you work is no walk in the park. I have so many projects and research papers to do that I don't even have time to play any of my video games let alone update my stories. I'm terribly sorry for the delay.**

**To make it up to you guys, I have a contest going on in my Deviantart account where fans get to draw out their favorite scenes from the 'A Trail of Memories' series so far and explain why it's their favorite. Winner gets a drawing done by me and a chapter dedication. I'm extending the deadline on it by December so that way if you want to do a holiday drawing instead, you can.**

**And last but not least, I'm cutting this world chapter into smaller parts since Radiant Garden has a lot going on, especially since we'll be seeing some very familiar characters….particularly a future heroine who will later become the main reason why I started this series ^-^**

**So without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen parted ways shortly after Maleficent was taken care of. Her mind was so wrapped up over Terra. How could he do those things? Why would he harm someone in order to get answers?

This wasn't the Terra that she knew. The Terra that she loved. Her mind denied that Terra would do these horrible things, but her heart was tell her that it was true. Ever since the Mark of Mastery Exams, he had been acting differently.

"Terra" she muttered sadly.

"How long are you going to make me suffer like this? How many times will you shatter my heart?"

She pushed her keyblade glider to the max and went to her next world.

/

After traveling to worlds that were filled with castles and forests, Lumen expected to land in another fairy tale like world that came with an enchanted castle and a princess.

Well, there was a castle, but that wasn't all. This world seemed to sparkle as the cascading fountains prayed water that seemed to sparkle like diamonds in the light. Everything was so bright and beautiful that it put her world to shame. There was a town that surrounded the castle where people were busy doing their errands and hurrying to their next stop. There was so much light in this world that it was like a weight was lifted off of Lumen's chest.

This world was radiant.

"If only dad could see this" she said.

She looked around the area that she was at and didn't know where to start. This world had so much to offer, she felt like she would be looking all day!

"I guess I should start with seeing if there are any Unversed around here" she thought.

With this much light there was sure to be Unversed.

She carefully made her way around the town, hoping to find the Unversed while trying not to gain any attention.

"I wonder if Terra, Aqua or Ven have been here yet?" she wondered.

Since she kept running to her friends during her travels, she had a feeling that she was bound to run into one of them. She could just imagine their reactions if they ever saw this place.

Ven would probably be the most excited and would run around looking at the beautiful buildings. Aqua would silently take the scenery in all the while secretly longing to stay here and bask in its beauty.

And Terra….

Lumen frowned. She really didn't know how Terra would take this world in. After hearing all of the horrible things he did on the last worlds, she didn't want to imagine what he would do on this world. She didn't even know what he would do or how he would react.

"Terra…" she said.

She shook her head. There was no point in thinking about him now. She wasn't going to let her thoughts stray her away from enjoying this world. As usual, she would put her needs aside and tend to others instead.

Besides, she was brought here for a reason. The Keyblade gliders always brought their masters to worlds that needed to be saved. Or somewhere that would later on be important to them.

And Lumen had a feeling that she was brought here for both reasons. She could feel it in her heart.

Placing a hand on her heart, she looked up at the sky.

"Well, I might as well see what this world has to offer" she said.

She continued on with her walk and went to see what this world offered.

/

Just as she thought, this world was absolutely breathtaking. The whole town was so sparkling and pure. Everything looked so clean and new that even the ground looked clean. Everyone was walking around and visiting different booths. It was like market day back in the Land of Departure.

She remembered her father always bringing her into the town when people set up their booths to sell their homemade goodies. She would always get lots of candy while her father would get himself ice cream. It was always funny to see her serious father act like a kid when he ate his frozen treat. Those were moments that she cherished about her father. He would always act serious and strict when he acted as a leader to their world, but he would also be loving and compassionate when it came to raising her. That was how a real father should act.

As she was walking, she accidentally bumped into someone. She gasped when she saw and old looking duck fall down and drop his cane.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried.

She quickly went up to the elderly duck and helped him up and dusted him off.

"I'm so sorry, sir" she said.

"I wasn't looking where I was going"

The elderly duck chuckled a little as he accepted his cane from her.

"It's alright, lassie" he said with a thick Scottish accent.

"People tend to get crazy when the booths are open"

Lumen smiled a little.

"I hope I didn't hurt you or anything" she said.

The duck shook his head as he adjusted his hat.

"I've been through worse with raising a couple of rowdy nephews" he said.

Lumen chuckled a little. He sounded like her dad after having a rowdy day with her.

"Oh, where are my manners?" she said.

"I'm Lumen"

The elderly duck smiled.

"Pleased to me you, Lumen" he said.

"I'm Scrooge McDuck"

Lumen bowed respectfully to him.

"So Miss Lumen, what brings you here on such a lovely day?"

Lumen blushed a little nervously.

"Um, well, I guess I just wanted to see what all the commotion was all about" she said.

"I've never seen so many stores open like this"

She couldn't tell him that she was actually here to look for Unversed. Strangers weren't supposed to know that she was from a different world.

Scrooge nodded in understanding.

"The same goes for me, lassie" he said.

"I'm trying to sell this new ice cream that I invented"

Lumen looked surprised.

"You make ice cream?" she asked.

Scrooge smiled.

"That I do" he said.

He pulled out an ice cream bar and handed it to her.

"Here, why don't you try one out?"

Lumen carefully took the ice cream from him and examined it. It was such a pretty shade of blue that it reminded her of the sky.

Taking a bite, she was met with a mixture of flavors. First she tasted saltiness and then tasted sweet.

"It's so salty, but sweet at the same time" she smiled.

Scrooge laughed as Lumen took another bite and made a face due to the salty flavor.

"It's called sea salt ice cream" he said.

Lumen smiled a little as she ate her frozen treat.

"It's wonderful" she said.

"I wish we had these at my home"

Scrooge wore a knowing smile on his face.

"Ah, so you're not from this world, are ye?"

Lumen choked on her ice cream when she realized that she gave herself away. This duck found out she wasn't from this world. She was in big trouble now.

"Uh…well…um, you see…the thing is…"

Scrooge busted out laughing.

"Oh, don't get your feathers ruffled" he said.

"The same goes for me. I'm not from this world either"

Lumen felt relieved. So she wasn't in trouble. But she had to be more careful from now on. She couldn't afford to let others know there were other worlds out there.

"You're not a local either?" she asked.

Scrooge shook his head.

"Heavens no" he said.

"I traveled to this world hoping that I'd be able to sell my ice cream. It's good for business. Plus you're outfit is a dead giveaway that you're not from around here"

Lumen blushed as she looked at her outfit.

"O-oh" she said.

"But don't worry about it" Scrooge said.

"People are always traveling to come to Radiant Garden. And I don't blame them"

"Radiant Garden" Lumen repeated.

"Is that what this world is called?"

Scrooge nodded.

"Aye, lassie" he said.

"And it's fitting since this world is so beautiful"

Lumen mulled this over as she slowly ate her ice cream. It was so good that she had a feeling that she would get more later on.

"So Miss. Lumen, what really brings you here to Radiant Garden?" Scrooge asked.

Lumen bit her lip in thought. Now that this duck knew that she was from another world, maybe he would be able to help her. After all, she really didn't know a lot about this world, other than that it was beautiful. She needed to find the Unversed quick before they ruined it.

"I'm….looking for something" she said.

She wouldn't tell him about the Unversed, fearing that it would frighten him.

"And I need to find it really fast. If I don't, then bad things will happen"

Scrooge rubbed his chin in thought.

"Why not try the castle?" he suggested.

He pointed towards the large castle that stood in the center of the town.

"I'm sure you'll find answers there" he said.

"That place is always filled with knowledge"

Lumen looked at the castle for a moment. She sensed very strong magic coming from it. If there was magic, then there were sure to be Unversed. Now she knew where to start.

"I'll try there then" she said.

She smiled at the duck.

"Thank you so much"

Scrooge nodded.

"Anytime, lassie"

Lumen laughed a little and pulled out some munny. She handed it to Scrooge.

"Thanks for the ice cream" she said.

"It was a real treat. I'm sure you'll have a lot of business"

Scrooge smiled warmly.

"Why, thank you, lassie" he said.

"Since you're my first customer, you can get your ice cream for free"

Lumen smiled brightly at that. She would be able to get more of that tasty ice cream without paying.

"Thank you so much!" she said.

"Well, I best be off. Thank you for everything!"

She quickly ran off and headed for the castle. Now that she found a place to start, it was time to take action. She had a world to save and standing around eating ice cream wasn't going to fix that.

Although, the ice cream was pretty good and she felt like she would be eating it again.

In some way or another.

/

**A/N: And there you have it. I thought it would be interesting to have Lumen talking to Scrooge. Plus, we got to see how Lumen would later on pass on her love of ice cream to Ankoku in a way.  
>Now that she knows where to look for the Unversed, what will she do when she finds them? What will she do when she runs into other familiar faces? <strong>

**Who will she run into next?**

**You'll find out next time! But in the meantime, please review and tell me what you think.**

**And please let me know if you'll be in the contest so I can write you down.**

**Ja ne!**


	9. The passing of power

Chapter 9: The passing of power

**A/N: We're back with another fun filled chapter! And this chapter should be extra fun because we get to see someone special! That's right, it's Hikari! Even though she doesn't play a huge role in this tale, she's still a very important character in this series (she's the main character after all, lol). So for all of you waiting to see Hikari again, fear not, the wait is over.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Happy Thanksgiving!**

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen took Scrooge's advice and headed for the castle. If she was going to find Unversed, then that would be the best place to start. And now that she thought about it, it made sense.

This castle was the center of this world. Surely that meant it held some connection to the heart of this world?

She didn't know the answer, but she was going to find out. Or rather, she hoped that she didn't.

Running up the many steps, she kept her eyes open for any signs of the Unversed. She wasn't going to let this world suffer on her watch.

"Now where could they be?" she muttered.

A scream could be heard from the top of the steps. It sounded like a young child. Young child in danger.

Panicking Lumen ran up the remaining steps, only to see two young children running away from a group of Unversed. One was a little girl wearing a teal and white dress while the other was a boy wearing an orange shirt with grey pants.

The boy pulled the little girl by her hand as they ran away from the Unversed.

"Ni-san!" the girl cried.

The boy growled in frustration when they reached the wall of the castle and were cornered. He pushed his sister behind him and pulled out a gunblade that looked way too big for him to carry. It was obvious that this boy didn't know how to fight really well, but that didn't stop him from wanting to protect his sister from the Unversed.

Lumen panicked when she saw the two children being cornered by the Unversed. There was no way that they would be able to get away from them easily.

"No! Run!" she cried.

At hearing her voice, the boy quickly spotted her. Lumen pulled out her keyblade and motioned for them to come to her where it was safe.

The boy grabbed his sister and ran for Lumen. When he reached her, he grabbed her keyblade in fear. (A/N: Now you know how Leon was able to wield the keyblade for a tiny bit in the first Kingdom Hearts game ^-^)

The girl buried her face into her brother's shirt when more Unversed appeared.

Lumen gasped when she sensed a vibrant light coming from her. It was just like with Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora. All of them held light within their hearts, but this girl's was deeper. It was as if there was a power sleeping within her.

She shook that thought aside when the Unversed closed in on them. She had to get these children out of here before they got hurt.

Lumen pushed the children behind her when the Unversed grew closer. This was not looking good.

"_There's no way I can fight like this" _she thought.

An Unversed dove at her, but it was cut down by a mouse.

Lumen was stunned to see a mouse standing protectively in front of her. What surprised her even more was that he was wielding a keyblade!

Who was this mouse? And why did he have a keyblade?

The mouse looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hurry!" he cried.

"You gotta get these kids to safety"

"Who are you?" Lumen asked.

"And why do you have a keyblade?"

The mouse shook his head.

"I'll tell you later" he said.

"Right now, we gotta stop these things!"

Lumen nodded in understanding. Now was not the time to be asking questions.

She quickly knelt in front of the children and picked them up.

"Hang on" she said.

She quickly ran down the steps and set them down when they were away from the danger.

"Stay here until the cost is clear, ok?"

They both nodded in understanding.

"Be careful, ma'am" the boy said.

Lumen smiled sweetly to him before she got up and ran back to the mouse. Her back was facing his as they faced off against the Unversed.

"Let's get 'em!" the mouse cried.

The Unversed charged at them first, growing restless with the lack of prey.

Lumen countered them with her magic and shot them back before destroying them with her feather blades shot lock move. The mouse proved to be a very skilled fighter. He seemed to be evenly balanced with magical and physical attacks. He was nowhere near a master level, but he sure wasn't a rookie.

She teamed up with the mouse to perform a magical attack and blasted the Unversed away.

They performed a teamed finishing move and caused the Unversed to wither away upon impact.

When the fight was over, Lumen looked at the mouse and gave him a smile.

"Not bad" she said.

The mouse smiled back at her.

"Same goes to you" he said.

With the Unversed gone, the children slowly came up the steps to make sure the cost was clear. When they only saw their saviors in the area, they quickly ran to them.

Lumen knelt in front of them when they reached her and smiled at them.

"Thank goodness you're both alright" she said.

She turned back to the mouse.

"Thank you" she said.

The mouse nodded in gratitude.

Lumen felt that introductions were needed, so she introduced herself.

"My name is Lumen" she said.

"I'm a keyblade apprentice under my father, Master Eraqus"

The mouse looked surprised at the mention of Eraqus's name. He quickly bowed to her in respect.

"I'm Mickey" he said.

"I used to be Yen Sid's apprentice"

Lumen gasped. He was a student to Master Yen Sid? Her father always talked highly about the former keyblade master. He was a legendary keyblade master who fought in battles long ago. He was a very respected man, much like her father.

The fact that she was meeting a pupil of such a powerful keyblade master was a true honor.

"It's such an honor to make your acquaintance" she said.

"My father talks so highly about Master Yen Sid"

Mickey smiled.

"The same goes for Yen Sid" he said.

"He's told me a lot about your father and that he had a daughter who can use the keyblade. Never thought I would run into you. It's a true honor"

Lumen blushed in embarrassment.

"T-thank you" she said.

She looked back at the children and focused on the little girl who was holding onto her brother's hand.

"I sense light within this girl" she said.

"You think that's why they attacked her?"

Mickey rubbed his chin in thought.

"Yep. I think ya might be absolutely right" he said.

"If ya ask me, she must be somebody pretty extraordinary"

The girl looked like she didn't know what they were talking about, but she listened intently. Her brother gripped her hand tightly as if he knew what they were talking about.

Lumen nodded slowly.

"Yes" she said.

"I'm quite certain that she's someone that we need to protect"

Mickey smiled and held out his hand.

"Let's join forces!" he said.

Lumen chuckled a little and accepted his hand. At least she had someone that would help her when she needed it.

"We pupils need to stick together" she said.

Mickey laughed a little when he let go of her hand.

"Right" he said.

His ears twitched as if he heard something far away.

"Uh oh. Looks like I need to get going" he said.

He bowed to Lumen respectfully.

"It was nice seeing you, Lumen" he said.

"If you ever need help, just give me a call"

With that, he ran off to who knows where.

Lumen watched as Mickey ran off, leaving her behind with the children. She was amazed that she met a pupil of Master Yen Sid.

"_Wait until dad hears about this" _she thought.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She turned around to see the little girl was the one who did it. She shyly hid her face into her brother's arm as she looked at her while her brother held a serious look on his face. Lumen could tell he acted a real mature for his age.

"Thank you for saving us, ma'am" the girl said shyly.

Lumen blinked before she smiled at them.

"It's nothing" she said.

"I'm just glad you both weren't hurt"

The boy looked around the area, as if checking to see if there were any more Unversed around.

"What exactly were those things?" he asked.

"I've never seen them before until recently"

Lumen frowned a little. She couldn't tell them that they were monsters made from the darkness. It would terrify them.

"I don't really know" she lied.

"Have they been a problem for you two?"

The boy shook his head.

"Not really" he said.

"But when we were heading for the park, they just suddenly appeared and chased us. I don't know what they wanted from us. We're just kids after all"

Lumen sighed sadly. It seemed the Unversed had no limits to whom they would attack. They were willing to go after children for goodness sake!

The boy looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You alright, ma'am?" he asked.

Lumen quickly composed herself and smiled. First rule when it came to children was to always put on a smile. Whenever they saw an adult upset, they always assumed it was their fault.

"Oh, y-yeah I'm fine" she said.

"By the way, I'm Lumen"

The boy nodded slightly.

"I'm Leon and this is my sister, Hikari" he said.

Hikari smiled as she waved. Her smiled quickly vanished when she saw something on Lumen.

"Your arm is bleeding!" she cried.

Blinking in confusion, Lumen looked down at her arm to see that it was in fact bleeding. It seemed one of the Unversed managed to scratch her and she didn't even know it. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't a good idea to leave it like this. She needed to heal it fast before it became infected.

Leon was one step ahead of her as he let go of Hikari's hand.

"I'll go get our mom" he said.

"She's really good when it comes to healing"

He looked at Hikari and gave her a stern look.

"You stay right here" he said.

"Don't run off or those monsters will appear again"

Hikari nodded.

"Yes, Ni-san" she said.

Leon nodded and quickly ran down the steps to go retrieve their mother.

When Leon was gone, Hikari's face fell. Lumen was curious as to why the girl was suddenly sad.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Hikari shook her head as she looked at the ground.

"I just feel bad" she said.

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"Feel bad about what?"

Hikari sighed.

"I feel like I can't do anything by myself" she said.

"I always have to have my big brother take care of me and keeping an eye out for me. It makes me feel like I can't protect myself"

She looked at her sadly.

"You even got hurt because I couldn't get away from those monsters" she said.

Lumen looked at the girl sadly. She was way too young to be thinking so poorly about herself. She was just a child. There was no way that she would be able to defeat those Unversed by herself.

"Hey, don't worry about it" she said softly.

"None of this is your fault. Those things will go after anything that has light. And as for me, this was my own fault for being reckless. You have nothing to be ashamed of"

Hikari looked at her sadly.

"Really?" she asked.

Lumen smiled a little and nodded.

"Really" she replied.

"And besides, you're strong"

She pointed towards her heart.

"In here" she said.

"It's not about being physically strong. It's about having a strong heart. The body can endure a limited amount of strength, but the heart will just keep growing. The fact that you already have a strong heart proves that you're a very strong person"

Hikari's face seemed to light up at that.

"Really?" she repeated.

Lumen nodded.

Hikari giggled.

"I didn't know that I was that strong" she said.

"Maybe then I can make my wish come true"

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"What wish is that?" she asked.

Hikari giggled some more before she smiled at Lumen.

"To protect the ones I love!" she declared.

Lumen looked stunned by her statement. This girl was no older than four years old and yet she was determined make her goals come true.

It reminded her of how Terra was when they were little. He worked hard to reach his goal, even though he was just a child. He wanted to prove to everyone that he was capable of making his dreams come true, even though he was young.

Perhaps this girl was the same way.

Her keyblade appeared in her hand suddenly. She didn't know why she was doing this, but her heart was telling her she was doing the right thing. If this girl wanted to make her dreams come true, she was going to help her.

And by doing that, she was going to give her a little help.

Keyblade wielders were allowed to perform a special ceremony where they would choose a successor that would follow in their footsteps. To make sure that their story would continue on in the generations that were to come. And to make sure that the light would always be with them.

Even though Lumen wasn't a keyblade master, she was the daughter of one. She held certain titles that not even Aqua was able to carry.

Holding the hilt out to Hikari, she started the ceremony.

"In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking…its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend-no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above. So long as you champion the ones you love"

Hikari looked at the keyblade nervously. She didn't know what to expect, but she would give it a try. Slowly, she brought her hand up and wrapped her fingers around the hilt. When nothing happened, she looked at Lumen.

The keyblade apprentice smiled brightly. The fact that the keyblade was still in Hikari's hands proved that she was a worthy wielder of the keyblade. With that much light in her heart, it was a given.

"Hikari!"

The two of them jumped when they saw Leon bringing a woman with them, obviously their mother.

Lumen quickly dismissed her keyblade and gripped Hikari's shoulder.

"You have to keep this a secret" she said.

"Otherwise the magic will wear off"

Hikari smiled and nodded.

"Got it"

Lumen smiled and quickly remembered something.

"Oh, and before I forget"

She placed her hand over Hikari's heart and cast a spell over it. The girl's heart glowed for a moment before it faded.

"I just placed a spell on you" she explained.

"One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe"

Hikari smiled at that.

"Thanks!" she said.

Leon quickly came over to them with their mother in tow. Lumen noticed that she held a powerful aura around herself. She had long brown hair that started to reach her waist and had bright green eyes like her daughter. She was like a carbon copy almost.

Their mother smiled softly at her.

"I'm Taiyouko" she said.

"Leon told me that you protected him and Hikari from a bunch of monsters?"

Lumen nodded.

"Yes"

Taiyouko smiled softly.

"Thank you so much" she said.

"I just don't know what I would do if anything happened to them"

Lumen smiled softly.

"That's my job" she said.

Taiyouko smiled a little as she nodded.

"Well, let me repay my gratitude by healing you"

Her hand glowed for a moment before she waved it over Lumen's arm. The wound healed instantly and showed no traces of it ever being injured.

Lumen looked at her arm in amazement. That was very powerful magic. She could practically feel it.

Taiyouko smiled when she saw her handy work finished.

"Well, at least that's taken care of"

She looked up at the sky to see where the sun was.

"Oh! Looks like it getting late" she said.

She looked at her children.

"I better take you two to the park before it gets dark"

Hikari cheered at the prospect of going to the park.

Taiyouko looked at Lumen one last time.

"I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but I need to go" she said.

"Thank you again for saving my children"

Lumen nodded in understanding.

"I have to get going too" she said.

"I hope you don't run into any of those monsters"

Taiyouko smiled and grabbed her children's hands.

"We'll be sure to keep an eye out" she said.

Hikari waved goodbye to her new friend.

"Bye!"

Lumen laughed a little and waved as they left. She watched as they slowly made their way to the stairs.

Hikari looked up at her mother as they walked.

"Hey, mommy" she said.

"Could you tell us that story?"

Taiyouko laughed a little at her daughter's request.

"But you and Leon have heard it hundreds of times" she said.

"Please?" Leon pleaded.

Taiyouko smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, alright" she said.

"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, listen you two. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away. "

Hikari smiled brightly when the story was over.

Lumen smiled too as she heard it. The light within her heart seemed to glow as if it knew what the story was about.

As she saw Hikari vanish, the voice from her dreams rang through her head.

"**Hey…can you hear me?"**

"Hikari…" she said softly.

She placed her hand over her heart.

"Something tells me that I didn't run into you by accident"

She would never realize how true those words would be until much later on in her journey.

/

**A/N: Yay! We saw Hikari and Taiyouko again! Don't worry; this won't be the last time that we see them in this story. We'll see our lovely keyblade mistress again soon. And of course we'll be seeing a future love interest of hers too.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	10. The truth comes out

Chapter 10: The truth comes out.

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! Since finals are over for me, that means I'll get more time to update my stories. A lot of people were happy to see Hikari again from the last chapter. And I'll admit it, I was happy to see her too. She was my first popular oc character and it feels weird writing a Kingdom Hearts story without her as the main character. But we'll be seeing her again soon, so don't you worry. **

**Now we get to the more serious side of this world. Lumen starts to find out what Terra has been doing and why he's causing so much problems. **

**I'm sorry if this chapter is really short, but I just got through with finals and I want to keep the main events into separate chapters. And if you think about it this way, that means more chapters will come out. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!  
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Lumen didn't regret making Hikari as her successor. She knew it was rather abrupt and last minute, but she felt like she was doing the right thing.

It was as if she was meant to make Hikari the next wielder of the Keyblade.

She smiled a little as her recalled the story she heard from Taiyouko. She always knew that the worlds used to be filled with light and that they were always in danger of the darkness. Her father would always tell her a similar story growing up. It made her want to wield the keyblade and protect the worlds.

"This world is filled with so many coincidences" she said.

"I wonder if coming here was an accident…or if it was destined"

With so many strange things happening, who knew what would happen next.

She looked up at the sky and smiled. Everything was so beautiful here, that nothing could ruin it.

Well…almost.

As she was looking up at the sky, she spotted something fly by. It looked like some sort of arm piece that was red and black in color.

That was frightening in itself, but that wasn't the reason why Lumen's blood ran cold. What horrified her was they Unversed symbol that was printed on the arm.

"Oh no" she said.

It seemed that the Unversed were gathering to do some very serious damage to this world.

Turning around, she quickly ran in the direction that the arm was heading towards. She had to stop it before more parts to it came together and caused serious damage.

"Please let me make it in time" she said.

/

It seemed the Unversed didn't want to be in an area that was crowded with people and went towards the more barren parts of this world.

Lumen wondered what the Unversed was up to and continued to chase it. It was up to something if it wasn't harming humans.

She reached towards an open area and saw more parts of the Unversed coming together.

"Oh no" she said.

She summoned her keyblade and faced the Unversed as it put itself together to make a giant armored Unversed.

The young keyblade wielder gulped down her nerves as she faced this monstrous foe.

"Lumen!"

Lumen gasped when she turned to see Terra running into the area.

She smiled with relief when she realized that he was ok.

"Terra!" she cried.

Terra ran up to her and smiled.

"Thank goodness you're ok" he said.

Moments later, Aqua and Ven ran into the area as well.

"Aqua! Lumen!"

The two of them smiled before they summoned their keyblades.

"We'll talk later" Aqua said.

"Let's get this thing!" Ven cried.

Terra looked at Lumen.

"Everything will be alright" he said.

Lumen nodded a little before she faced the Unversed.

The Unversed would break off parts of its body and used them to attack the group. Terra blocked the head as it spun around, trying to smash them into the walls. Aqua performed bubble blast as she tried to trip the feet up when it went to stomp her into the ground. Ven quickly ran out of the way as the chest piece acted as a cannon and fired energy blasts at him. Lumen countered the clawed arms and ducked when they tried to take a swipe at her.

They all lured a piece of the body away with them so it couldn't put itself back together and cause greater damage. The best way to beat this thing was to break it apart.

Terra wasn't having any trouble on his part. Since he was physically the strongest, he was able to fight back his enemy.

Aqua proved to be just as strong with her magic. She would just cast spells at the Unversed to keep it at bay while she figured out a plan to defeat it properly.

Ven was having a hard time on his end. Since was wasn't physically strong or skilled with magic, he couldn't attack his enemy. All he could do was run out of the way whenever it tried to hit him.

Lumen jumped out of the way when the arms tried to smack her into a wall. She finally figured out where its opening was, all she had to do was wait for the proper moment.

She got it when the arms swung back to hit her and let itself opened. Lumen smirked and to strike, only to get knocked down by Ven.

The two of them landed on the ground a heap and they tried to regain their senses.

"Ven, what are you doing?" Lumen snapped.

Ven tried to catch his breath from all of that running.

"I can't land a hit" he said.

"That thing is way to strong"

Lumen growled in annoyance. This was the reason why she told him to return home.

"Just stay close to me" she said.

"I think I have a plan"

Ven stayed close to Lumen as they carefully made their way around the Unversed. They didn't want to be detected so stealth was the key to winning this fight.

When the arms and the chest piece where in the positions that Lumen wanted them to be, she turned to Ven.

"When I say go, you run in between them" she said.

"Then run as fast as you can out of there when they attack"

Ven gulped but nodded. He trusted Lumen and knew that she would never let him get hurt.

Lumen looked at the Unversed again and saw that they were in place.

"Go!"

Ven quickly sprinted between the two parts and made sure they spotted him. Both charged up their attacks with the intent of finishing him off immediately.

"Run Ven!" Lumen cried.

Ven quickly ran when they fired off their attacks only to end up hitting themselves.

Lumen pumped her fist when she saw that her plan worked perfectly.

"Yes!"

Ven smiled in relief as well.

Aqua finished off the legs of the Unversed and ran towards them.

"That was some smart thinking" she said.

Lumen shrugged.

"My father always told me if you're fighting a group of enemies, try to make them fight themselves first"

Aqua laughed.

"Of course"

Terra attacked the Unversed's head. It proved to be a lot harder to defeat since it wore such thick armor around its face. He couldn't defeat it on his own, so he needed everyone's help with this.

"Guys! Let's end this!" he cried.

Lumen and Aqua quickly reacted and charged at the Unversed first.

"This ends now!" Aqua cried.

The girls slashed at its face while Terra and Ven landed the finishing blow.

The four of them watched as the Unversed broke into dark particles and disappeared.

Lumen smiled and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"That went well" she said.

She turned to Terra and smiled.

"Terra!"

She quickly ran into his arms and held him tightly. She was so happy to see him again that she forgot all about all the things that he possibly did on other worlds. All that she cared right now was that she was in the arms of the man she loved most.

Terra smiled contently as he ran his hand through her hair.

"Lumen" he said.

Lumen buried her face into his shirt and inhaled his scent.

Aqua and Ven smiled at the scene when they walked up to them. They were happy to see each other as well and glad to know that no one was hurt.

Ven quickly remembered something that he got earlier and pulled them out.

"Oh yeah" he said.

"I got you guys these tickets"

He pulled out a set of tickets and gave them each one.

"What are they for?" Aqua asked.

Ven smiled.

"Life time passes to Disney Town" he said.

He frowned when he remembered something else.

"He said to-bring grownups"

Terra, Aqua and Lumen laughed at that. Poor Ven, everyone thought he was a child because of his size.

"Oh Ven" Lumen said.

Her smile faltered when she remembered that he was supposed to be home and not out here.

"Ventus!" she growled.

She went up to him and pinched him in the cheeks.

"I told you the head back home!" she snapped.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! Do you know how worried sick I was? You have a lot of nerve running off on me like that. I should kill you for this"

Ven flinched at being treated like a child, but he couldn't blame her. He didn't mean to run off on her like that, but he wanted to find Terra.

"Lumen's right, Ven" Aqua said.

"We need to get you home"

Ven shook his heade.

"It's ok, Aqua" he said.

"Trust me, that guy in the mask is history. He'll never bad-mouth Terra again"

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

She remembered Ven mentioning about a masked boy spreading rumors about Terra. Did he run into him again?

"Ven, please tell me you didn't fight him" she said.

Ven smiled nervously.

"Well-"

Terra quickly gripped his shoulder and gave him a serious look.

"You saw the boy in the mask?" he asked.

Ven looked taken aback but Terra's sudden mood change.

"Y-yes?" he said uneasily.

Lumen looked at Terra. She didn't know why he suddenly became serious.

"Terra?"

Terra looked away in thought.

"Vanitas…" he muttered.

Now Lumen was really confused.

"Terra, what's going on?" she asked.

"Who's Vanitas?"

Terra looked at her.

"It's nothing" he said sharply.

Lumen frowned at that. Now he was getting snippy with her?

"It certainly doesn't sound like nothing if you're giving me an attitude about it" she said.

Terra cringed and looked away. He never raised his voice to her before and now he regretted it.

He looked at Ven and gave him a scolding look.

"Ven" he said.

"You let Aqua and Lumen take you home"

Ven pouted at that.

"No way!" he said.

"I wanna go with you guys"

Terra shook his head.

"You can't" he said.

"We have a dangerous road ahead of us. I don't want you to get hurt"

"And what is this dangerous task, Terra?" Aqua asked.

Lumen looked at her best friend.

"Aqua?"

The keyblade master gave Terra a serious look. She really didn't want things to come to this, but she had no choice. She saw the things that Terra did and she needed to call him out on it. She didn't want Lumen to know, but maybe it was best if she did know.

She couldn't be kept in the dark forever.

"It doesn't sound like what the Master told you to do" she said.

Terra looked at the ground.

"It might be a different route, but I'm fighting the darkness" he said.

Aqua didn't buy. Terra might have thought he was going the right path, but she knew better.

"I'm not so sure" she said.

"I've been to the same worlds as you and I've seen what you've done. You shouldn't put yourself so close to the darkness"

Lumen's blood ran cold.

Of course. She nearly forgot about all of the things that she heard on different worlds reguarding Terra. Striking an old woman, sending the Unversed to attack Snow White, helping and evil sorceress in capturing a princess, stealing someone's heart. And most of all…letting the darkness consume him.

She bit her lip nervously. She was afraid to think that Terra would do these horrible things. She didn't want to believe that her sweet, kind, loving Terra would even think about such horrific deeds. But somewhere deep in her heart….she knew that it was true.

Ven gave Aqua a scolding look.

"Listen to yourself, Aqua" he said.

"Terra would never-"

"You mean you've been spying on me?" Terra interrupted.

He wore such a cold expression on his face that it made Lumen shiver. This wasn't the Terra that she fell in love with.

Terra just gave Aqua a cold look.

"Is that what he said to do?" he asked.

"The Master's orders?"

Lumen gasped.

Her father ordered Aqua to spy on Terra?

"_But…what about Terra's second chance?" _she thought.

"_Was that just a lie?"_

She looked between her friends. She didn't know what to think or do anymore.

Aqua went behind her back and was spying for her father. Her father didn't have any faith in Terra and lied to them. Ven was off fighting dangerous masked people.

And worst of all….Terra really did do those horrible things.

He never denied it and he never tried to explain. He never said anything or looked a tiny bit sad about it. It's like he didn't regret the horrible things that he did. He didn't care at all.

A tear ran down her face when she realized that the man that she loved most was gone now. At that stood before her was this cold, heartless man.

Ven looked at Lumen as more tears fell from her face.

"Lumen?" he asked uneasily.

Aqua and Terra looked at her to see Lumen give Terra a hurtful look.

Terra took a step towards her.

"Lumen, I can exp-"

He was cut off by the stinging feeling to his cheek.

Lumen's arm was raised from when she slapped him. He expected her to just stand there and let him explain when he should have done that minutes ago?

She turned on her heel and bolted from him.

"Lumen!" Terra cried.

Lumen closed her eyes as the tear kept pouring. She didn't want to stay around and listen to his petty excuses.

The Terra she knew was gone and there no way of changing that.

Her heart ached painfully as the truth sunk in.

Sometimes the truth really did hurt.

/

**A/N: So the truth came out. Poor Lumen. This is kind of like when Hikari realized Riku was siding with Maleficent. **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	11. Vanitas

Chapter 11: Vanitas

**A/N: Poor Lumen, even though Terra loves her, he can't help but break her heart. He's just like Riku. He thinks he's protecting the one he loves by siding with the darkness, but he's only causing her more pain. And it's not going to get any better for Lumen since she's about to run into another un-friendly face.**

**Since I graduated and I'm done with school for the time being, that means more updates!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**And have a Happy Holidays!**

**Enjoy!**

/

So many things ran through Lumen's head as she bolted down the streets of Radiant Garden.

Her legs felt like lead, her eyes stung with tears, her body was on fire.

And worse of all, her heart felt like shards of glass.

How could Terra do this to her? How could he give in to the darkness so easily and not be upset about it? Didn't he know how bad the darkness was? Didn't he realize that he was hurting the ones he loved as well?

Apparently he didn't because if he didn't he wouldn't have sided with the darkness.

Then there was Aqua and her father. How dare they go behind her back and spy on Terra like that. It didn't matter that they were right about Terra, it was the fact that they had the nerve to lie to her.

Aqua was her best friend. They told each other about everything. Did becoming a keyblade master meant you had to hid things from your best friend? It was true that Aqua could be serious at times and tended to take things seriously. But to lie to your best friend was a low blow. But not as low as your father going against you.

She couldn't believe that her father would do something like this. Terra respected Master Eraqus so much and treated him like his own father. He would never do anything to disappoint him or keep secrets from him-except that he had been secretly dating his daughter for a few years now. Her father said he was willing to give Terra a second chance to become a keyblade master. Was that just a lie?

She really didn't know what to believe in now.

Her father lied to her, her best friend went behind her back. And worse of all, her lover betrayed her.

When she reached the Central Square, she collapsed to her knees. Gripping the stones around her, she let the tears fall. Her heart hurt so much that it was hard to breathe. The man that she loved and cherished betrayed her.

Terra's vow to her from long ago echoed through her head.

"_I will never betray you"_

Lumen cried even more at that.

"_But you did, Terra" _she thought.

"_You betrayed me in the most foulest way. You went against the thing that you swore to fight. The thing that you vowed to protect me from"_

She buried her face into her hands and shook as she cried.

Why did it have to come to this? Everything was perfect before this mission came. If only Master Xehanort hadn't disappeared and the Unversed never existed. Then maybe things would have stayed the same between Terra and herself.

As she was crying, she never noticed that someone approached her.

"The poor girl cries such sweet sorrows"

Lumen's head shot up and looked at the person that spoke.

Clad in dark clothing and wearing a dark mask stood a boy no older than her. Darkness seemed to pour out of him as he watched her sitting on the ground. She couldn't see his face and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. But she could tell that this boy was bad news and that she was in danger.

She slowly got up and backed away from him. She didn't like how he was so close to her.

The boy laughed at her in a very sinister way.

"Aww, you think I'm going to bite" he said.

"How cute"

Lumen studied him a bit more. This boy had a mask that completely covered his entire head. Something about him seemed familiar.

That's when it hit her that Ven mentioned about a boy in a mask.

"You! You're the one that Ven was talking about" she said.

The boy seemed to react a little when Ven was mentioned.

"Ah, Ventus" he said.

"Tell me something, has he learned to put up a decent fight yet?"

Lumen glared at him. How dare he talk badly about Ven?

"What's that suppose to mean?" she asked.

"I'll be asking the questions!" The boy snapped.

Lumen growled.

"You got a lot of nerve to be talking to a woman like that" she said.

"But then again, you're just a boy so what do you know about manners?"

She spun on her heel and started walking away. She didn't want to deal with this creep right now and she wasn't right in the head to be fighting at the moment. She was on the verge of snapping.

The boy appeared to not like being ignored and quickly snatched her wrist.

"Walking away when someone is talking to you? You're the one who doesn't have any manners" he said.

Lumen snatched her hand away from him.

"Keep your hands off me" she hissed.

This boy was really getting on her nerves.

"Just who do you think you are that you can treat a woman this way?"

The boy just laughed as he circled around her, studying her like a predator stalking its prey.

"My master was right" he said.

"You really do act like your father"

Lumen's eyes narrowed.

How did this guy know her father? Or better yet, who was his master?

"How do you know about my father?" she asked.

"That's not important" The boy said.

"It is to me" Lumen snapped.

"Just who are you?"

The boy laughed darkly.

"The name's Vanitas" he said.

"And you're Lumen, daughter of Master Eraqus and Mistress Serenity"

Now Lumen was really starting to freak out. How could this boy know so much about her when she hardly knew anything about him?

She tried walking away again, but Vanitas stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I thought we were having fun?"

Lumen scoffed at him.

"Hardly" she said.

"Why would I want to associate with rude little boys like you? Now go away"

She tried walking away again, only to have Vanitas stop her again.

"You see, that's just the thing" he said.

"I can't leave you alone-or rather, I don't want to"

Lumen growled darkly. This boy was really pushing her buttons. She was in a horrible mood because of Terra and now this brat was making it worse.

She glared daggers at Vanitas as he blocked her yet again.

"You have five seconds to get out of my way before I hack you into pieces" she threatened.

Vanitas laughed at that.

"Oh, I'm shaking with fear" he said.

He summoned up a keyblade and went into a fighting stance.

"Let's see if you can actually do it"

Lumen summoned her keyblade and went into a stance as well.

"You asked for it" she said.

She didn't hesitate to rush at him. He wanted a fight so he was going to get one. Predictably, Vanitas blocked her attack with his keyblade.

"Too slow" he taunted.

Lumen just growled.

"No" she said.

"Too predictable"

She shot a fire spell at him and watched as he quickly jumped out of the way so he wouldn't get singed by the flames.

"You're a sneaky little chick, aren't you?" he said.

"I think I'm starting to like you even more"

Lumen growled and went at him again.

"Don't make me sick" she said.

She fired off random spells at him and watched as he ran away from them. He was messing with her by toying with her and holding back his true capabilities. It was childish and an insult to a keyblade wielder. She wasn't a master, but she was still the daughter of one.

"Quit toying around" she barked.

"It's an insult to my abilities"

Vanitas laughed at that.

"If I were to show you my true skills, you would be dead within seconds" he said.

"Besides, haven't you suffered enough blows in one day? I'm sure that little incident with Terra was a real doozy"

Lumen froze at that.

Terra's betrayal did a real number on her. She could be punch millions of times and she would feel a thing. She could be shoved down dozens of times and she would still get back up. But the thing that she couldn't counter was the pain of a broken heart.

Crying out in frustration, she aimed her keyblade at Vanitas and had chains come out of it. The chains of light wrapped themselves tightly around the masked vigilant and slammed him to the ground.

The chains disappeared, leaving the motionless boy on the ground.

Gripping her keyblade, Lumen slowly approached his body.

When she got close to him, she noticed that he didn't even move a muscle, let alone breathe.

Kneeling to the ground, she slowly reached for his mask to see who he really was.

She suddenly blacked out when she felt something hit her hard across the face. She fell to the ground, dazed by the impact.

With her blurry sight, she caught the image of Vanitas standing over her with his keyblade drawn.

"So that's the power Master was talking about" he said to himself.

"Now I see why we need you for our plans"

Lumen winched as she tried to sit up. Vanitas really hit her hard with his keyblade and it made her dizzy to move.

"What…plan?" she said weakly.

Vanitas just laughed.

"Sorry angel face, but that's for me to know and you to find out"

He knelt down and gripped her arm.

"Now that I know that you won't cause me a fight, I say it's time we get going" he said.

"My master is on a very tight schedule and you're the final key that he needs to fulfill his plans"

Lumen weakly struggled against his grip. She didn't know what he was talking about but she didn't want to be a part of anyone's plans.

"No…Terra!" she cried weakly.

"Terra isn't going to save you now" Vanitas cooed.

"If he cared enough about you, then he wouldn't have sided with the darkness"

A tear ran down Lumen's face as she heard that. He was right. If Terra did care about her, then he wouldn't have betrayed her like this.

Vanitas opened a dark portal and started dragging her towards it.

"Forget about Terra" he said.

"I'll make sure I take _good _care of you"

Lumen struggled some more, but really couldn't do anything because of the pain she was in.

"No! Let me go!" she cried.

Vanitas just laughed and continued to drag her along.

"Save your breath" he said.

"No one is going to save yo-"

He was cut off when an arrow suddenly nicked him in the arm.

He let go of Lumen to stop the bleeding.

"Where did that come from?" he hissed.

Another arrow was flew past him and caused him to jump back a few feet.

Lumen looked up to see who had rescued her, only to find Taiyouko. The young woman had a bow and arrow in hand and looked ready to fire off another round.

"Is there a problem here?" she asked darkly.

Vanitas growled and summoned his keyblade.

"Get lost" he hissed.

Taiyouko gave him a dark glare.

"Sorry, no can do"

She fried off her arrow followed by a set of complex spells.

Vanitas blocked everything with his keyblade, but was thrown away from Lumen.

Taiyouko quickly went up to Lumen and stood protectively in front of her as she notched another arrow into her bow.

"Dragging an injured woman as if she was cargo? How rude" she said.

Vanitas growled when he realized what he was facing up against.

"A sorceress" he hissed.

Taiyouko glared at that.

"That's right" she said.

"And if you value your life, then I suggest you leave this world immediately"

Vanitas looked at where Lumen sat back to Taiyouko's arrows. He was smart enough to know that he was no match for a sorceress. They had powers that rivaled even a skilled keyblade master.

Admitting defeat for now, he reopened the portal and stepped into it.

He looked at Lumen.

"This isn't over yet, doll face" he said.

"The next time we meet, you'll be wishing that you finished me off sooner"

With that he vanished.

Taiyouko sighed and lowered her weapon.

"Why do strange people always come here?" she asked herself.

She looked at Lumen who was still sitting on the ground. She knelt in front of her and checked her over.

"You alright?"

Lumen looked at her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The mother of her successor saved her life.

"You-you're Hikari's mother…Taiyouko, wasn't it?"

Taiyouko smiled a little.

"That I am" she said.

"And you're the brave girl who saved my children from those monsters"

Lumen laughed weakly.

"That I am" she said.

Taiyouko looked at the spot where Vanitas once stood.

"So who was that guy anyway?" she asked.

Lumen slowly shook her head.

"I have no idea" she said.

She flinched at the throbbing feeling in her head.

Taiyouko looked at her with concern.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

Lumen nodded her head for a second before suddenly shaking it. She wasn't alright. She was nearly abducted by some masked freak. Her best friend went behind her back, her father lied to her and even worse, her boyfriend betrayed her. She was anything but alright.

Letting her raw emotions come forward, she suddenly broke down again and started to cry. She was hurting so badly inside that she had to let it out.

Taiyouko looked at her sadly.

"Oh, you poor dear" she said.

She pulled her into a hug and held her gently.

"It's ok" she said.

"Let it all out"

Lumen continued to cry as her broken heart continued to shatter.

Taiyouko carefully helped Lumen up and let her lean against her.

"Come on, let's go for a walk" she said.

"A little fresh air will do you some good"

Lumen just nodded as she sniffled and sobbed some more.

The young mother carefully guided her away from the fight zone and towards the streets of the town.

None of them would realize that they would be walking down the path that would chain their fates together.

/

**A/N: Taiyouko to the rescue! I just had to give her a little badass moment. As you can tell, Taiyouko will play a very important role in Lumen's future. What it will be is unknown (at least to you readers). How will Taiyouko get Lumen out of her funk?**

**The only way to find out is to review!**

**Please tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	12. Mending Hearts

Chapter 12: Mending Hearts

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just saw the new trailer for the Kingdom Hearts 3d game and it made me realize I need to get a move on with this series if I want to reach it. That and because it was insanely awesome! Oh, I'm going to have a lot of fun writing that story. **

**A lot of you were really happy to see Taiyouko again. Even though she isn't seen a lot in the series, she plays a very important role. And now she'll play an important role in Lumen's life. I wonder how that's going to work?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Taiyouko handed Lumen a handkerchief when her crying subsided. The poor girl sniffled as she dabbed her eyes with the pale yellow cloth.

The young keyblade wielder was taken away from where she fought with Vanitas and was near the market area.

She handed Taiyouko her handkerchief back as she rubbed her slightly puffy eyes.

"Thank you" she managed to choke out.

Taiyouko gave her a weak smile and put the handkerchief away.

None of them said anything for a little bit. Both trying to wrap their minds over what had just happened.

Lumen rubbed her shoulders when she felt a chill run up her spine. She couldn't believe that she was almost taken away by Vanitas. She didn't know what he meant by she was the final key to his master's plans, but she had a feeling it wasn't a good one.

If Taiyouko hadn't rescued her, who knows what would have happened.

Speaking of which, how did she know to rescue her?

The last time she saw her, she was taking her children to the park.

She looked at her rescuer nervously.

"Um, how did you know that I was in trouble?" she asked.

Taiyouko looked at her for a moment before smiling.

"I was getting my kids some ice cream while they were playing at the park" she said.

"Just as I was about to head back, I heard someone calling for help. I went to look and found you being dragged off by that masked kid"

Lumen looked at the ground shamefully.

"I'm sorry" she said.

Taiyouko laughed a little and waved a hand at her.

"Don't be" she said.

"If I hadn't rescued you, then who knows where the creep would have taken you"

Lumen nodded her head slowly.

"Yeah…you're right" she said.

"Thank you"

Taiyouko smiled.

"No problem" she said.

She gently took the girl by the hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Why don't I give you a grand tour of the place?" she asked.

"I'm sure that'll brighten your mood"

Lumen smiled weakly. She felt grateful that this kind woman was offering to distract her with the recent events that just unfolded on her.

She suddenly remembered about Taiyouko's children. Hikari in particular.

"_My successor" _she thought.

"What about your children?" she asked.

Taiyouko laughed.

"We'll head to the park as I give you a tour" she said.

"Besides, they're playing with their friends. They'll be safe"

Lumen bit her lip nervously. She hoped that Hikari would be alright. She didn't want anything to happen to her successor.

But then again, she wanted to get rid of the images of what recently just happened to her.

"Ok, then" she said.

"Lead the way"

Taiyouko smiled and tugged her along.

"Onwards then!" she cried.

Lumen laughed a little. She found this woman's cheerful personality to be contagious.

/

Taiyouko wasn't bluffing when she said she would give a grand tour. She practically showed Lumen the entire town before they headed for the castle.

"This is where my father usually stays at" she said.

"Only people who work for him are allowed to go inside, but other than that, it's closed to the public"

Lumen looked at her.

"You're father is the ruler of this town?" she asked.

Taiyouko nodded.

"You could say that" she said.

Lumen tilted her head to the side.

"Then does that mean you get to go in there as well?"

Taiyouko nodded again.

"Yeah, but I hardly ever go here" she said.

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"How come?" she asked.

Taiyouko's face harden a bit.

"Let's just say that my father and I don't see eye to eye"

Lumen grew confused. She was about to ask why when she heard a couple of voices.

"Get your hands off of me you big oaf!"

The two women looked to see a set of guards carrying a couple of boys by the back of their shirts. One had fiery red hair that spiked out everywhere while the other had blue hair that spiked up at the top. The red head was struggling while the blue haired one had his arms crossed, not looking happy with the predicament he was in.

The guard that was carrying them was muscular built and had brown hair that was brushed back. His companion as black hair that was in dreadlocks and pulled back while he had sideburns that went down to his chin.

The guard dropped the boys to the ground and crossed his arms.

"For the twentieth time, you're not allowed to enter the castle"

The red head got up and dusted himself off.

"I don't take orders from you, monkey man!" he cried.

His blue haired friend sighed and held the bridge of his nose.

Taiyouko sighed.

"Not again" she muttered.

She looked at Lumen and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'll be right back" she said.

She quickly went over to where the red head was still fighting with the guards.

"Dilan, Aeleus" she called.

"What seems to be the problem here?"

The guards looked at her before they quickly bowed.

"This little brat was trying to get into the castle again" Dilan said.

The red head glared at him.

"I'm not a brat!" he snapped.

Aeleus gave the boys a glare.

"The next time you sneak into the castle again, there will be some serious consequences" he warned.

The red head waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah, you said that last time" he said.

Aeleus glared at him before looking at Taiyouko.

"I'm sorry about this, Lady Taiyouko" he said.

Taiyouko's eyebrow twitched at being referred to as 'Lady'.

"They're kids" she said.

"What harm could they have done?"

"You're father is in the middle of a very important experiment" Dilan said.

"He can't be interrupted.

Taiyouko's gaze harden at the mention of her father.

"What do I care if he's doing an experiment?" she snapped.

"It's not like he doesn't have time for anything else, let alone his family"

The guard's face fell.

"Lady Taiyouko" Aeleus said.

"Save it" Taiyouko said.

"Just go back to guarding my father, I'll handle these two"

The two guards nodded before heading back into the castle.

Taiyouko turned around to face the two boys. She crossed her arms in front of her as she gave them a scolding look.

"Lea…Isa" she warned.

Isa sighed.

"It was his idea" he said.

"I had no part in this"

Lea glared at him.

"Oh yeah? Then why did you come with if you had no part in it?" he asked.

"It was your idea to go through the front door this time!"

"I didn't think you would go along with it" Isa said.

"It's not my fault you're an idiot"

Lea glared at him.

"Why you!"

"Alright, enough you two" Taiyouko said.

"I'm letting you both off easy. But if you try to do this again, I won't help you. Got it?"

The two of them nodded.

"Yes, ma'am" they said.

Taiyouko smiled.

"Good, now get going"

She walked back to Lumen and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that" she said.

Lumen smiled and shook her head.

"Don't be" she said.

The two of them started walking again, leaving Lea and Isa to themselves.

Lumen could hear them as they walked away.

"*sigh* man Taiyouko's hot" Lea said.

Isa made a noise to show he was disgusted.

"She's old enough to be your mother" he said.

"So what?" Lea asked.

"I like chicks that have a backbone like that. One day I'm gonna find myself a chick like that"

Isa sighed.

"Keep dreaming" he said.

"The day that happens is the day I'll go berserk and lose my mind"

Lea laughed.

"Now that, I would love to see"

Lumen chuckled a little.

Boys could be so strange at times.

/

"You seem to be rather popular around here" Lumen said.

Taiyouko sweat dropped as she laughed nervously.

"Yeah, well that sort of happens when your father is a leader" she said.

"I don't like it, but it gets me out of some tight spots"

Lumen laughed.

"I know the feeling" she said.

"My father is the leader from where I'm from so people treat me like a princess"

Taiyouko laughed.

"Looks like we have something in common" she said.

They walked a bit more and viewed the sights that only Radiant Garden could offer.

As they walked, they ran into yet more people.

And young boy with steal colored hair that covered half of his face was accompanied by an older looking man. Both wore white lab coats, only the boys had the sleeves cuffed up due to it being too long.

The older man sneered at Taiyouko when he saw her.

"Taiyouko" he sneered.

"Even" Taiyouko replied with venom.

"What in the world are you doing out here?" Even asked.

Taiyouko placed her hands on her hips.

"Why should it matter to you?" she asked.

"You're not my babysitter and I'm pretty capable of handling myself"

Even just growled. He always hated it when she made him feel in superior. Didn't she know that she should respect her elders? But then again, what would she know? She didn't even respect her father.

Taiyouko rolled her eyes and smiled at the boy who poked his head from behind Even's back.

"Hey, Ienzo" she said softly.

Ienzo poked his head out more and smiled softly when he saw her.

Taiyouko smiled a little and held her hand out to him.

"You wanna come to the park with me?" she asked.

"Leon and Hikari are there. I'm sure they would be happy to see you"

Even sneered.

"Can't you see that we're in the middle of something?" he asked.

"Besides, what gives you the idea that he would-"

He was cut off when Ienzo suddenly ran from behind him and latched himself to Taiyouko. The little boy smiled shyly as he buried his face into her dress.

Taiyouko wore a triumphant smirk on her face and gave Even the stink eye.

"Ha! He likes me better than you!" she cheered.

Even just grumbled.

"If your father gives you lip about this, don't come crying to me" he said.

Taiyouko rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, old man"

"Now why don't you go and do something that's actually productive?"

Even growled and stormed off, muttering things about disrespect.

Taiyouko laughed.

"Gets him every time" she said.

Taiyouko turned Ienzo around so he could see Lumen.

"I'd like you to meet my young brother, Ienzo" she said.

"Ienzo, this is Lumen. She's a guest so be nice"

Lumen smiled and waved to the boy.

"Hi"

Ienzo blushed and turned around to bury his face into his sister's dress.

Taiyouko just laughed and hugged her brother.

"He's really shy when he's around other people" she said.

"But when we're alone he can be quite the chatterbox. Right Izzy?"

Ienzo nodded and held onto his sister's hand.

"Well then, let's go to the park"

With that, they headed towards the park.

/

Hikari and Leon weren't the only kids who were at the park. A few other children were playing along with the two of them. All of them appeared to be around Leon's age and seemed really close to the boy.

Taiyouko looked at Ienzo and smiled.

"Alright, Ienzo. You go have fun"

Ienzo nodded and ran towards the swings, where Hikari was at the moment.

Lumen watched as her brother, Leon was attempting to pull himself out of a headlock by a younger girl.

"Cloud! Get your sister off of me!" he cried.

Cloud sweat dropped and gave his sister a dull look.

"Mikomi, let him go" he sighed.

Mikomi beamed at her brother.

"What are you talking about, Ni-san? He likes it"

She turned back to Leon and put him into a tighter grip.

"Say uncle!"

Lumen laughed as she sat with Taiyouko on the bench.

"What a lively bunch of kids" she said.

Taiyouko laughed a little.

"I know. Sometimes I wonder how their parents deal with them"

They laughed at that and watched as the children played.

None of them said anything for a while and just enjoyed the scene.

Taiyouko looked at Lumen.

"So do you want to explain why you suddenly broke down like that?" she asked.

Lumen looked at her for a moment before looking at her lap. She nearly forgot that she has a total meltdown in front of the woman who saved her. She didn't want to explain herself because she would be embarrassed, but she couldn't leave her worried like this.

"I…was just having troubles with someone I care about" she said.

Taiyouko gave her a knowing smirk.

"Ah, it's boy troubles then" she said.

Lumen nodded.

"Yeah, you could say that" she said.

"My boyfriend, Terra did something very horrible and I don't know what to do"

Taiyouko propped her head into her hand as she listened.

"Well, what did he do?" she asked.

"Did he cheat on you or something?"

Lumen quickly shook her head.

"No! Of course not!" she insisted.

"Terra would never stoop that low. He just…he promised that he would never betray me and I just found out that he did. He didn't even look like he regretted it. He didn't show any emotions at all. Not only that, my father and my best friend went behind my back tried to show that Terra did these horrible things. I'm sure they had their reasons, but I just can't believe they would do that to me. Why would they hide stuff from me like that? It's like they don't trust me either"

She looked at Taiyouko to see her thinking.

"I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Taiyouko quickly shook her head.

"No, no! I'm just trying to put the pieces together and figure out this little soap opera" she said.

She rubbed her chin in thought.

"I'm sure I can relate to you about the whole father issue. I don't get along with my dad at all and I refuse to talk to him. Do you have a bad relationship with your dad?"

Lumen shook her head.

"Of course not" she said.

"After my mother died, he was the only person I had left. He took care of me and everything, even when it was difficult"

She thought back to the day that her mother died and how torn Eraqus was.

/

_Eraqus held Lumen tightly as they sat on her bed. He had to break the news that her mother had passed away and that she wouldn't be seeing her again for quite a while._

_Tears pooled his eyes and he held onto to the only living proof of his beloved wife. _

_Lumen looked up at her father when she felt him shake. She couldn't see the tears in his eyes as they threatened to fall. _

_She didn't know what was going on, but she knew it wasn't good._

"_Daddy, where's mommy?" she asked._

_Eraqus bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out. _

_He simply held his daughter tightly and ran a hand through her hair._

"_I-I'm afraid mommy is gone, Lumen…and she won' t be coming back for quite a while" he choked._

_He buried his face into her hair and held his precious daughter to his heart._

"_But I promise I'll take good care of you for her" he whispered._

"_I'll give you twice the love as if mommy were here. I promise nothing bad will happen to you"_

_A tear slipped down his face._

"_I promise"_

_Lumen didn't know what to say. The only thing she knew was that her father was sad and that he needed to be loved._

_She hugged him in return and closed her eyes._

"_It'll be ok, daddy" she said._

"_I know it will"_

/

Lumen looked at the ground sadly.

"My father changed after my mother died" she said.

"It was like he died as well. It was difficult for him to raise me on his own, but he never changed the way he felt towards me. He always gave me his love and showed that I was the only person who mattered to him. He would never do anything that would harm me. And yet…."

"He asked your friend to do something behind your back" Taiyouko finished.

Lumen closed her eyes and nodded.

Taiyouko sighed and watched as her children played.

"Well, I wish I could say I understand, but I don't" she said.

"I hate my father with a passion and wished that I was never related to him"

She closed her eyes for a moment.

"But from what you've told me, you're dad isn't a bad person"

She looked back at Lumen.

"I'm sure he was just trying to protect you in his own way. Maybe he asked your friend to do stuff behind your back because he couldn't do it himself. Maybe he trusted your best friend with it because he knew your friend would protect you and keep you safe"

Lumen gripped her skirt.

"If they wanted to protect me, why would they lie to me?" she asked.

Taiyouko shrugged.

"Probably so they wouldn't worry you" she said.

"I know I would do the same if it came to my children. When you're a parent, your whole perspective on life changes drastically. What you once thought was harmless turns out to be the most dangerous thing in the world. What you once thought was right turns out to be very wrong. You're whole world is reversed. So speaking from a parent's perspective, I'm going to say that your father thought he was probably doing the right thing into keeping you safe. It wasn't nice, but sometimes you have to be mean if you want to protect your child. Same goes with friends. A real friend will do anything to protect their best friend, even if it means going behind their backs. They'll do whatever it takes to protect that bond. Even if it severs your friendship with the person, at least you know that they were trying to do the right thing"

Lumen looked at her for a moment.

Maybe her father and Aqua really were trying to protect her. Sure, it wasn't nice what they did, but they've never done anything bad to her.

Eraqus was always thinking about his daughter and always put her needs before his own. He tended to mess things up a bit when it came to parenting, but at least he tried.

Aqua was always there for her from day one. She always looked out for her and treated her like the sister she never had. She was always sticking up for her when people where bullying her. And when things looked bad, she always got her father to fix the problem. She was the ideal friend.

Maybe Taiyouko was right. Maybe they were doing the right thing.

But that still didn't explain about Terra.

"Then what about Terra, what's his excuse?"

Taiyouko scratched her head in thought.

"Just how serious is your relationship with this guy?" she asked.

Lumen blushed a little.

"We've been going out for a couple of years" she admitted.

"But we have to keep it a secret since my father is Terra's teacher and he would surely kill him if he found out about us"

Taiyouko laughed.

"That sounds familiar" she said.

"And does Terra show that he loves you?"

Lumen nodded.

"Before we left on this little mission, he would tell me that he loved me each day. He always stood by my side and made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. If I was sad or upset about anything, he would always come and comfort me. And if I was away from him, he would always find me"

Taiyouko smiled.

"Sounds a lot like my lover" she said.

She pulled out a set of army dog tags that were hidden under her dress and looked at the name.

"He always treated me like a princess"

Lumen smiled.

"It's an amazing feeling" she said.

She frowned a little.

"But recently, he's been acting different. It's like he's a totally different person"

"Did something happen that would have caused this?" Taiyouko asked.

Lumen shook her head.

"I don't know" she said.

"We recently had this exam from where I'm from and…he didn't pass. He was upset about it, but I don't think that would be a reason why he would be acting differently"

She recalled that Terra wanted to ask her something before they left for this mission.

"Oh! He wanted to ask me something, but he was never able too" she remembered.

"He looked really nervous about it"

Taiyouko raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think it could have been?" she asked.

Lumen shook her head.

"I don't know" she said.

"And I think it's too late to find out"

Taiyouko snorted and shook her head.

"It's never too late to ask" she said.

"Maybe he's just nervous about this thing he wanted to ask you and it's got his mind all messed up. Maybe that's why he's acting differently"

Lumen looked at her.

"You think so?"

Taiyouko nodded.

"I'm a mother, and I know these things" she said.

Lumen looked at her hands in her lap.

"Maybe I should talk to him about it"

"It wouldn't hurt to try" Taiyouko said.

"Owww!"

Taiyouko looked at the park to see that Ienzo had jumped off the swing when he was too high and landed face first into the ground.

"Oh dear" she said.

She stood up quickly.

"I better go take care of him before he starts crying"

She turned to Lumen.

"Will you be alright?"

Lumen smiled a little and stood.

"Yeah, and I should get going now anyway" she said.

"I'm sure my friends are wondering where I went"

Taiyouko nodded a little before she smiled.

"Just remember what I said"

Lumen gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much" she said.

Taiyouko laughed a little.

"Hey, we're friends now aren't we?"

Lumen chuckled.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right" she said.

Taiyouko smiled before she ran off to pick up her brother as he started crying.

Lumen smiled at her new friend before she walked off.

She had some talking to do.

/

"I wonder if what Taiyouko said was true?" Lumen asked herself.

She walked near one of the court yards that lined the outside of the town. The air smelled of flowers while fountains streamed peacefully.

"I guess maybe Terra does have a lot on him mind right now…but that doesn't give him the excuse to hurt me like that" she said.

"I thought he had a little more faith in me than that. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I wouldn't?"

She sighed as she looked up at the sky.

"I guess being in a relationship is a lot harder than it looks" she muttered.

"Lumen!"

Lumen gasped and whipped around to see Terra running towards her.

"Terra?"

The young keyblade wielder skidded to a halt when he reached his girlfriend and tried to regain his breath. He appeared to have been running for quite a while with the way he looked so winded.

He looked up at her from his knelt stance and gave her a weak smile.

"I've been looking everywhere for you" he said.

"I was starting to think that you left this world"

Lumen gave him a stern look and crossed her arms. Even though she loved him dearly, she was still mad and hurt by what he had done.

"Maybe I should have" she said.

"Since you obviously don't care about what your actions will do to your friends"

Terra flinched at that. He figured she would still be pissed. He would be to if he was in her predicament. But that wasn't why he was here. He was here to set things right.

"I know you're mad" he said.

"Oh, I'm more than mad" Lumen said.

"I'm hurt. How could you do this? To my father? To our friends? To me? Don't you realize the pain you've given us? My father was willing to give you a second chance at becoming a keyblade master and you just blew it by using the darkness within your heart. You promised me that you would never let that happen and that you would never betray me. But what do you do? You go ahead and use the darkness to help you get through this mission! My father warned us about what happened when the darkness consumes us. Do you want me to see you get consumed by the darkness? Do you want me to see you become an empty shell of what you once were? Well, I don't ! I want my boyfriend to be safe and sound. I want my boyfriend to think with his heart and not with his head. I want my boyfriend to actually be alive rather than dead!"

Terra didn't say anything as she yelled at him. He didn't want to hear it but he knew that he had to. He caused her so much pain and this was his punishment.

Because he let the darkness in his heart control him, he was hurting his light.

That was his sin and this was his punishment.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to do anything. He betrayed her trust and he had to get it back.

He had to right his wrong doings.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"I know that doesn't change the fact that I've done horrible things, but I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone, most of all you. I know your father is giving me a second change and I'm grateful for that. I want to be a keyblade master, I really do. But with everything that's happening, my mind is in so many directions. I need to find Master Xehanort, I need to destroy the Unversed, I have to protect the worlds from the darkness. I know that the darkness is bad, but I'm always afraid that I'm doing the wrong thing and it takes over. I want to fight the darkness and destroy it, but somehow it's destroying me and who I really am. I don't want to be a Terra that you don't know, but I also don't want to be the weak Terra that you're used to. I want to protect you as best as I can and the only way to do that is to become a keyblade master"

Lumen just gave him a sad look.

"Is being a keyblade master really that important to you?" she asked.

"Do you think that's what I want?"

Terra shook his head.

"No, but at least I will know that I have the strength to protect you"

Lumen sighed. She had heard this hundreds of times, but it seemed that he still wouldn't listen.

"I don't need a keyblade master to protect me" she said.

"All I need is your love. As long as I know you love me, then that's all that I need"

Terra gripped his hand into a fist.

"I know that, but how will my love protect you from the Unversed?" he asked.

"All they feel is negative emotions. Love will have no effect on them"

Lumen closed her eyes for a moment.

"You would be surprised what it's done to those who've been consumed by the darkness" she said.

She looked up at him sadly. She was losing the Terra that she loved and she knew it.

"Do you really love me?" she asked.

Terra looked stunned that she would even ask such a question.

"Of course I do!" he insisted.

"You're the only woman that I've ever had and ever will love"

Lumen sighed. That was a petty excuse. That wasn't the Terra that she knew. The Terra that she knew would go crazy and shot his love for her to the world.

"Then prove it" she said.

Terra gave her a hard stare. So she was playing hard to get now, huh? Well, fine. He knew how to play that.

"Fine then, have it your way" he said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a very small box.

Lumen raised an eyebrow when she saw bend down on one knee and held the box up.

"Terra, what are you-"

She had a hand flying to her mouth when she saw Terra open the box and revealed a diamond ring sitting in the middle of it.

Terra gave her a gentle look as he held her hand.

"Lumen, will you marry me?"

/

**A/N: WHAT? Did Terra just propose to her? I think he did. Oh, I'm such a nasty person leaving it at a cliff hanger like that. Especially since Terra caused Lumen all of that trouble.**

**Got to love Taiyouko. She may be crazy at times, but she's full of wisdom. And I thought it was cute to have all of the future members of Organization Xlll present. Lea was just funny because his comment of having a girl like Taiyouko is going to foreshadow his relationship with Tsukiko.**

**Anyway, please don't hate me with the way I ended this chapter. I thought it would be interesting to see your reactions if I ended it like this.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	13. Second Chance

Chapter 13: Second Chance

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sure all of you are dying to find out what Lumen will say to Terra's proposal. And what better way to start off the New Year than with a new chapter?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Happy New Year!**

**Enjoy!**

/

"_Will you marry me?"_

Those words kept echoing in her head as she stared at the ring. Terra really pulled a fast one on her. He tried to explain why he did those things on his travels and tried to show her that he still loved her. She didn't know if he would be able to show it, but he did. And he did it in the most surprising way.

"M-marry you?" she choked.

Terra smiled a little and nodded.

"Yes. I want you to be my wife" he said.

Lumen covered her mouth with her hand. She didn't know what to say.

Terra looked at the ring he was holding then back to her.

"I know this probably isn't the right time, but I figured it was better than later" he said.

"I've wanted to marry you for a very long time, but I wanted to ask you after I became a Keyblade Master"

So that was why he wanted to be a master so badly. It was so he would look better when he proposed.

Lumen bit her lip to prevent the tears from falling.

All her life, she had dreamed of being proposed by the man she loved most. Like every girl, she dreamed of becoming a beautiful bride and walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress.

This is what she wanted…but not like this. Not when the man she loved most had done horrible things.

She closed her eyes as she willed the tears to go away.

Why did it have to be like this?

Part of her wanted to say yes because she loved Terra deeply and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But part of her wanted to say no because she knew he allowed the darkness to take control of his heart and she feared of being hurt again.

This was supposed to be such an easy choice, but it proved to be rather difficult.

When Lumen didn't say anything, Terra started to grow nervous.

Was she having second thoughts about all of this? Had he made the wrong choice to propose now?

He knew that he made mistakes since he stared this journey, but he never meant to hurt her like this. He loved her very much and everything he did was for her. He wanted to protect her and keep her safe. That's why he foolishly let the darkness take control of him.

"Lumen?" he asked.

Lumen forced herself to open her eyes as she choked back her tears.

She was so torn right now that she couldn't even speak. What was she suppose to say to the man she loved? To the man that hurt her unintentionally?

Terra stood up and gripped her free hand. He really feared that she was going to say no.

"Lumen, please say something" he pleaded.

Lumen gulped the lump that started to form in her throat and looked at Terra.

"What do you want me to say?" she choked.

"Do you expect me to say yes just like that when I know you did awful things? Do you think I would foolishly accept with the chance that you might hurt me again?"

Terra looked at her sadly.

"I never intended to hurt you like that" he said.

"I never wanted anything bad to happen to you. I love you and I swore that I would protect you in any way"

"And you thought that siding with the darkness would help me?" Lumen asked.

Terra cringed at that. Now he really feared her answer. If she said no, then his heart would shatter. She was all he had. He had no parents, no siblings or friends that understood him. Sure, he had Aqua and Ven, but they didn't know him like Lumen did. She was his reason for living. And if he lost her, then he would just die.

"I know I made horrible mistakes" he said.

"But wanting you in my life was never one of them. I love you, Lumen"

Lumen curled her hand into a fist to keep herself from screaming. She wanted to believe him, she really did. But after everything that he did so far, she didn't know if she could anymore. She had been hurt once; she didn't want to be hurt again.

"I know you do" she said.

"But how do I know that you'll never hurt me again? What can you do to let me give you a second chance?"

Terra bit the insides of his cheeks. What could he do to prove it to her? How could a man make up for doing something so stupid to the woman he loved most? How could he redeem himself?

He came up with an idea, but it was hard. It meant he would have to give up something he dreamed off since he was a child, but it paled in comparison of losing Lumen forever.

"I'll give up my dream of being a Keyblade master if it that's what it took" he said.

Lumen gasped a little. She didn't expect him to say that. She knew that being a master was his childhood dream. He wanted to be strong like her father, but she always told him that he didn't have to be a master. That he was fine the way he was. The fact that he offered such a proposal showed that he really meant it.

Terra saw Lumen thinking over what he said and went a step further.

"I'll even go talk to your father and tell him everything" he said.

"I'll tell him about us, about how we've been together secretly, how I don't want to be a Master anymore…and that I want you to marry me"

He gripped her hands tightly and held them close to his heart.

"Please Lumen, give me a chance" he said.

"I can become a Master anytime that I like. I can take the exams whenever. But I can't have any other woman in my life but you. You're the only woman I ever love and ever will"

The tears in Lumen's eyes returned.

If Terra was willing to do all of these things then it really meant that he really did love her. If giving up his dream didn't prove it, then she didn't know what would.

She loved him and she didn't want to leave him. She didn't know if she could forgive him for what he did on this journey, but that didn't mean she wouldn't give him a second chance.

Besides, her father always did say people deserved a second chance.

"You're such an idiot" she choked.

She gave him a weak smile.

"But you're my idiot"

Terra smiled hopefully.

"So do you accept?" he asked.

"Will you marry me?"

Lumen wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Of course" she said.

Terra smiled brightly. He pulled her into a hug and held her tightly.

"Lumen" he breathed.

"Thank you. I promise I'll make you the happiest bride in the world"

Lumen returned the hug and buried her face into his chest.

"You already have" she said.

Terra pulled her away and took the ring out. Very carefully, he slid the delicate jewelry onto her finger and smiled when it fit.

Lumen held her hand up to view the ring. It really was beautiful. It wasn't a large diamond, but she preferred it that way. Little diamonds always reminded her of the stars.

She was happy, but she wasn't content just yet. She may have agreed to Terra's proposal, but that didn't mean they were married just yet.

She gave him a serious look.

"I'm giving you a second chance" she said.

"If you're willing to prove to me that you won't hurt me again, then you have to swear that you won't let the darkness control your heart anymore. You're strong, Terra so don't be defeated so easily"

Terra nodded.

"I won't lose you to my foolishness" he said.

Lumen smirked a little.

"Good, because if you didn't then I would have said no to you"

Terra made a face.

"That's harsh" he said.

Lumen shrugged.

"That's life" she said.

"I'm not going to have a pawn of the darkness for a husband. I have my standards"

Terra shook his head a little.

"Women" he muttered.

"But I see your point"

Lumen giggled a little and looked at her ring.

"You better" she said.

She sighed as she looked at the sky.

"I should get going" she said.

"There are other worlds in danger and me standing here isn't going to save them"

She looked at Terra and gave him a smile.

"You stay out of trouble until we get back home, you hear me?"

Terra chuckled a little and kissed her.

"Anything you say…Mrs. Terra"

Lumen blushed at that. It had a nice ring to it.

She quickly activated her armor and summoned her keyblade glider.

"Stay safe" Terra said.

Lumen nodded and quickly rode off to the next world.

She looked at her hand where her new ring rested and sighed.

"_I hope I'm not making the wrong choice" _she thought.

As she rode off, someone lurking in the shadows smirked. Braig, one of the town's head guards laughed darkly as he saw the whole scene unfold before him.

"Perfect" he said.

He held up a small device and pushed a button. The person on the other line said something.

"**Well?" **

Braig smirked and responded.

"The brat proposed to her and she said yes" he said.

The person on the other line laughed darkly.

"**Perfect. Now I'm getting one step closer to accomplishing my goals" **

Braig just laughed and cut off communication.

Terra and Lumen never realized that their possible happy future would soon turn nightmarish.

/

**A/N: Did you guys really think I would have Lumen say no to Terra? What kind of person would I be if I did? But if Terra screws up with his second chance, she might say no after all. **

**But it seems that even though they're looking forward to a happy future, it seems that someone else had other ideas in mind for them. I'm sure you can figure out who's the one who wishes to ruin their lives so I won't leave you hanging like that. **

**Please review and tell me what you think! **

**Ja ne!**


	14. Disney Town

Chapter 14: Disney Town

**A/N: Hey everyone! It looks like we're nearing the end of this story. Just two more worlds before everything changes forever for Lumen. Will it be good, or will it be bad? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**I also don't own the rights to the song that's used in this chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen's heart was flipping all over the place. She couldn't wrap her mind over the fact that Terra proposed to her and that she said yes. It was what she always wanted, but she wished that it had been done differently. She gave Terra a warning that if he used the darkness in his heart, she would break off the engagement and would refuse to marry him.

She never wanted that. She loved Terra and wanted to be with him. But if he was going to allow the darkness to consume his heart, she would have none of that. She would rather die than to see her fiancé suffer because of the darkness.

She pushed her glider alone the lanes in between each world. She wanted to get this mission over with so she could go home and have things go back to the way they were. That and so she could break the news to her father that she had been secretly dating one of his students for a couple years now and was going to marry him.

She chuckled a little as she thought of her father's expression.

"_I just hope he doesn't kill Terra when he finds out" _she thought.

/

Everything was so colorful when Lumen stepped on her next world. There seemed to be a celebration going on with all the decorations that were covering the town.

The young keyblade wielder admired the scenery. It wasn't as pretty as Radiant Garden, but it gave off such a warm, positive vibe.

"It sure is pretty here" she said.

"I wonder what's going on?"

She slowly made her way around the town and watched as people set up stands for games or added more decorations to certain areas.

She headed towards the Town Square, where a castle stood off in the distance. It seemed the positive vibes were coming from behind the walls, spreading its powers to everyone in town.

Lumen smirked.

"I bet Ven would love coming here" she said.

"He just loves things that deal with having fun"

She spotted an ice cream vendor and suddenly got a craving for it. After having Scrooge's sea salt ice cream, she started having a craving for the frozen treat.

"I hope they have some" she said.

"Or at least anything just as sweet"

As she was heading towards the vendor, someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere and scared her.

It was a giant cat wearing a white and orange superhero outfit.

"Ta da!" he cried.

"Wearin' the mask of peace and hope…comes the fearless defender and hero of this town! It is me-Captain Justice!"

Lumen tilted her head to the side in confusion. Just who in the world was this guy? His appearance and speech were so random that it totally threw her off.

"Huh?"

Captain Justice pouted when he didn't get the reaction that he was looking for.

"What? Never seen a superhero before?"

Lumen just spun on her heel and started walking. This guy was freaking and had seen her fair share of freaks.

Captain Justice stomped his foot in frustration.

"Wha-now listen, you pipsqueak" he ordered.

"I'm Captain Justice!"

Lumen stopped and gave him an annoyed look.

"I can see that" she said.

"But I'm busy"

Captain Justice just struck a pose.

"Who are you to walk away whenst a bona fide hero is offering to help a damsel in distress?" he asked.

Lumen just scoffed.

Did she look like she needed help?

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine" she said.

"I'm not some 'damsel in distress' that needs the help of a bona fide hero. Why don't you save that offer for someone who really needs help? Not to someone that's just walking around?"

Captain Justice started to get angry. He really didn't like Lumen's temper. He was just trying to help out and yet she was giving him the cold shoulder.

"Now you listen here, missy" he said.

"I'll have you know that I'm-"

"Help! Somebody help!"

Three ducklings, by the names of Huey, Dewey and Louie came running into the area looking frantic.

"Somebody help us!" Huey cried.

Lumen grew worried. If something bad was happening and children were involved, she need to fix the problem.

Captain Justice seemed to think so too since he quickly went into action.

"What's that? Trouble?" he cried.

"Captain Justice to the rescue!"

Lumen rolled her eyes and quickly went to the three ducklings.

Louie saw her and quickly tugged the hem of her skirt.

"Please! You have to help us!" he cried.

"They're wrecking the stage!"

Lumen knelt in front of him so she wouldn't look intimidating.

"Who's wreaking the stage?" she asked.

Dewey shivered.

"These scary monsters!" he cried.

"They just appeared out of nowhere and started ruining the stage! We don't know how to get rid of them!"

Monsters suddenly appearing? That sounded a lot like the Unversed.

She stood up and went to take care of the matter, but Captain Justice just had to be involved.

"Is there a problem? Just leave it to Captain Justice!"

Huey just gave him a look.

"You'll just make things even worse!" he said.

Captain Justice just snorted.

"Oh, pish posh. I'm Captain Justice!" he cried.

"The only person who can get rid of monsters is a hero, and that's me!"

He ran towards the stage where the madness was brewing.

Lumen looked at the triplets and gave them an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it" she said.

"Just lead the way"

The triplets smiled and quickly took her to the stage before Captain Justice could do any more damage.

/

The Unversed seemed to be everywhere as they attacked the stage. They ripped off the curtains and destroyed the props that were lying around.

Horace Horsecollar was trying to help Chip and Dale keep everything together, but failed horribly.

"Go away you monsters!" he cried.

"Leave our town alone!"

Chip and Dale were jumping up and down raising their fists in anger.

"Yeah! Go pick on someone your own size!" Dale cried.

Captain Justice came to the scene.

"Have no fear, Captain Justice is here!"

Horace made a face when he saw who it was.

"Oh no, not you" he moaned.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble already today?" Chip asked.

Captain Justice just ignored them and observed the scene.

"Monsters think that they can just roam around my town?" he asked.

"Well, not while I'm around"

He picked up a huge piece of plywood and held it like a bat.

"With Captain Justice around, you can be sure he'll take care of the pests"

Lumen arrived just as he attacked the Unversed.

She gasped in horror when she saw he was doing more damage than the Unversed were. He was so slow with his movements that the Unversed moved out of the way just before he could hit them. He did more damage to the stage than the Unversed were.

Everyone cried in horror when they saw their stage being destroyed.

Captain Justice cornered an Unversed into one of the joints that kept the upper half of the stage up and held the plywood high over his head.

"End of the line, vermin!"

He lunged at the Unversed, only for it to disappear and caused him to crash into the joint as instead. The top of the stage collapsed and landed on the ground in a huge mess.

Horace cried when he saw the stage destroyed.

"The stage!" he cried.

Lumen covered her mouth in horror. She knew Captain Justice was an idiot to go up against the Unversed like that, but she didn't think he was that big of an idiot.

Captain Justice struggled through the mess and managed to get out.

He made a victorious pose when he was the Unversed were gone.

"Another job well done!" he cried.

Lumen had flames in his eyes. He had the nerve to act like a hero when he wasn't and now he was saying he did a good job at it?

"Well done?" she asked.

"Well done? You think that this is a well done?" Just look what you did to the stage! It's ruined!"

Captain Justice finally realized what he did and gulped.

"Well I-uh"

Everyone glared at him as they slowly approached him. He made a huge mess out of everything and now he was going to pay.

Captain Justice gulped and quickly made up an escape route.

"What's that? Someone calling for my help? Well have no fear, Captain Justice is on the way!"

He quickly ran off before anyone could punish him.

"Get back here!" Chip cried.

Horace sighed.

"It's no use" he said.

"He's gone"

They looked at the stage to see it was beyond repair.

"Oh, the Queen is going to be so upset with this" he said.

Lumen looked at them sadly. She was starting to feel like it was her fault that this happened. If she had arrived here before Captain Justice did, then maybe the stage would be saved.

"I'm so sorry" she said.

Horace gave her a sad smile.

"It's not your fault, ma'am" he said.

"Captain Justice has just been causing more problems than he has fixing them"

Lumen looked at the ground sadly.

"That's awful" she said.

Dewey suddenly started crying and sobbed sadly.

Lumen quickly knelt in front of him and tried to calm him down.

"Hey, it's ok" she said.

"B-but our stage!" he sobbed.

"W-we've been working so hard on it today a-and now it's ruined!"

"We were going to use that for when the Queen gave out the prizes for the contest" Huey said.

"But if there's no stage to present them…"

"Then that means no one gets a prize" Louie finished.

Dewey cried some more.

Lumen wiped the duck's tears away.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it can be fixed in time" she said.

"I don't think that's possible" Horace said.

"We've been setting up for this festival all week" Chip said.

"It'll take us hours to fix this stage. And the contest is suppose to start in a couple of minutes"

Huey and Louie started crying as well. They were so looking forward to getting a prize for their ice cream stand, but now it seemed like they wouldn't.

Lumen looked at everyone to see that they were all on the verge of crying. It seemed that this festival was really important to everyone and the fact that Captain Justice ruined it was like a stab to their pride.

She really wanted to help them, but she didn't know how to when they were all upset. They need to be calm if they were to get this stage done in time.

"_How do I get them to calm down and stop crying?" _she thought.

Whenever she cried or got upset about something, her mother would always sing to her. Just listening to her voice always put her at ease.

Maybe if she sang them a song, they would calm down enough to stop crying.

She sighed. She didn't know if it would work, but she had to try.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly started to sing.

"_When you think _

_Hope is lost_

_And giving up_

_Is all you got, _

_Blue turns black, _

_Your confidence is cracked, _

_There seems no turning back from here"_

The triplets slowly stopped crying as they heard Lumen sing. Hearing her voice started to calm them down a little.

"_Sometimes there isn't an obvious explanation_

_While the holiest stars can feel the strongest palpitations._

_That's when you can build a bridge of light, _

_That's what turns wrong so right, _

_That's when you can't give up the fight_

_That's when love turns nighttime into day,_

_That's when loneliness goes away, _

_That's when you gotta be strong tonight,_

_Only love can build us a bridge of light"_

Everyone started to calm down as they slowly gathered around her. Her song started to give them courage when moments before they felt helpless.

"_On your feet, I made a storm_

_You're convinced that you're all alone_

_Look at the stars, it's straight up the dark_

_You'll find your heart shines like the sun._

_Let's not anger get us lost _

_And the need to be right cause us way too high costs_

_That's when you can build a bridge of light,_

_That's what turns wrong so right, _

_That's when you can't give up the fight,_

_That's when love turns nighttime into day, _

_That's when the loneliness goes away,_

_That's when you gotta be strong tonight,_

_Only love can build us a bridge a light. _

_Deep breath in, take it on the chin_

_But don't forget to let love back in"_

Just then, everyone started to sing along with her.

"_That's when love can build a bridge of light, _

_That's what turns wrong so right, _

_That's when you can't give up the fight._

_That's when love turns nighttime into day, _

_That's when loneliness goes away, _

_That's when you gotta be strong tonight,_

_Cause only love can build us a bridge of light_

_Only love can build us a bridge of light…"_

When the song ended, Lumen was happy that everyone looked better. It seemed the song really lifted their spirits.

"She's right" Horace said.

"We can't give up now. The Queen's expecting us to make this festival amazing!"

Chip jumped from his spot.

"Yeah! We have to get this stage ready for the contest!" he said.

"If we all pitch in, we'll have it fixed in no time!" Dale added.

Dewey wiped his eyes. Even though he was done crying, he was still a little sad.

"But how are we going to fix the top?" he asked.

"It'll take us hours trying to pull it back up"

Lumen made a face. That was a problem. Pete broke the joints that kept it up and there would be no way for them to fix it without having someone pull the top up.

That's when she came up with an idea.

Looking around the stage, she noticed a pulley attached to the side of the building where the stage was.

If she could just hook the top of the stage to it, then she should…

Summoning her keyblade, she gave the group a smile.

"Leave it to me" she said.

"I'll fix this"

She went over to the stage and aimed her keyblade at the pulley. Her chain of light spell wound around the pulley and hooked itself to the top of the stage.

With enough effort and help from everyone, they were able to pull the top back up and have it secured so it wouldn't fall again.

Lumen finished off the spell and smiled at the group.

"There you go, problem solved"

Everyone cheered at that.

"Perfect! Now all we have to do is patch it up and make it look nice" Huey said.

Lumen giggled and held up her keyblade.

"Count me in to help"

/

With enough teamwork, the group was able to fix the stage in record time. Thanks to Lumen's magic, they were able to fix the stage quickly and decorate it so it would look nice for the contest.

"It looks better than it did before!" Dewey said.

"The Queen will be so happy when she sees this" Louie added.

Horace turned to Lumen and smiled.

"And we have you to thank for that, Ma'am" he said.

"If you hadn't encouraged us to push forward, we wouldn't have fixed the stage in time"

"Yeah! You're better that Captain Justice" Dale cheered.

"Forget Captain Justice, you're the real hero of this town!" Chip corrected.

Just then, a mouse wearing a formal pink dress approached them. Everyone from the town quickly bowed to her when she faced Lumen.

"They're right, you know" she said sweetly.

"A hero is someone who encourages others to push forward, even when it may seem impossible. Thank you so much"

Lumen blushed a little at the compliment.

"Thank you" she said.

"Um, may I ask who you are?"

Horace laughed.

The mouse laughed.

"I'm Minnie" she said.

"And she's our Queen" Horace added.

Lumen gasped in horror. She couldn't believe that she was speaking so rudely to royalty. If her father heard about this, he would scold her so badly.

"Oh! Where are my manners!" she cried.

She quickly knelt forward and bowed to Minnie.

"Please excuse me, your Majesty" she said.

"I'm Lumen"

Minnie quickly went up to her.

"There's no need for that" she insisted.

"Just call me Minnie"

She sadly looked away.

"You see, I'm not sure I'm doing a very good job protecting my kingdom" she said.

"Oh, don't say that, Queen Minnie" Horace insisted.

"We all know how hard it's been since the King set off the way he did. Don't you trouble yourself. Why we wouldn't even think of putting on our yearly Dream Festival if we thought there was the slightest chance anything might go wrong"

Minnie smiled sweetly to Horace.

"Oh, you're very kind, Horace" she said.

Horace nodded before crossing his arms in frustration.

"How 'bout that Pete, though?" he asked.

"Captain Justice my hide! You can't count on him for anything"

"Yeah! He's always messing things up!" Huey cried.

"He's no hero!" Dale added.

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"You mean Captain Justice's real name is Pete?" she asked.

Horace snorted.

"Well, is sure as sugar isn't 'justice'" he said.

"Pete never does anythin' for nobody except Pete. That getup is just an act to get folks to vote for him"

"Vote?" Lumen asked skeptically.

"He wants the Million Dreams Award and hog the prize!" Chip said.

"Million Dreams Award?" Lumen asked.

"What's that?"

"It's part of our Dream Festival" Minnie explained.

"We all vote for who we think the most admirable citizen is. But Pete seems to have the wrong idea. He thinks that dressing up as a hero and proclaiming that he is one will win him votes"

She looked at the ground sadly.

"What really makes someone a hero isn't what they wear or what they say-it's the things they do and how they treat everyone"

Horace looked at Lumen.

"Well, in my book, Lumen here is number one" he said.

"You've got my heartfelt vote"

Huey, Dewey and Louie tugged on Lumen's skirt.

"Us too! Us too!" they cheered.

"Don't forget about us" Chip and Dale said.

Lumen smiled bashfully in front of everyone.

"Thanks everyone" she said.

"I promise not to let you down"

"See that you don't" Chip said.

"Our vote's very important"

Minnie laughed.

"Oh dear, it sounds like they're serious" she said.

Lumen laughed.

"I guess being popular is tough" she joked.

Everyone laughed at that.

/

When it came to announce the Million Dream Award, everyone eagerly gathered around the newly fixed stage. They wondered who was the winner and if their votes counted.

"Who do you think's gonna win this year's Million Dream Award?" Horace asked.

"Boy oh boy! I hope it's who we voted!" Chip said.

"Now that we got so much business at the shop, maybe we'll be number one" Huey said.

Minnie appeared on the stage.

"Hello, everyone, and thank you for waiting" she said.

"Now, it's time to begin the main event of our Dream Festival-the Million Dreams Award presentation"

Captain Justice A.K.A Pete stood near the gazebo and a confident look on his face.

"Heh! Just skip to the part where you say my name" he said.

"This is a shoo-in!"

Minnie smiled at the group.

"Oh, this is very exciting!" she said.

"We have multiple winners"

Everyone cheered at that.

"The Million Dreams Award goes to…Ventus, Aqua, Lumen and Terra! All four of you!"

Lumen gasped. She was one of the winners? Not only that, but Terra, Aqua and Ven?

She looked around for them. When did they come to this world? Where were they?

"You mean Aqua, Terra and Ven were here?" she asked.

Pete stormed up to the stage. He was furious that his name wasn't called out.

"Whaddaya mean?" he cried.

"There's gotta be a mistake!"

"Everybody voted for Captain Justice! I made sure of it!"

He turned to the crowd.

"Now go on, tell her!"

When no one said anything, he growled.

"Better try the other one"

He quickly ran to the side of the stage and changed his costume to a purple and black one.

"The Rouge Racer, Captain Dark!" he cried.

Everyone turned away in disgust.

Minnie gave Pete a harsh stare.

"Pete, we counted the votes very carefully" she said.

"Ventus, Aqua, Lumen and Terra won"

She sighed.

"Oh, Pete, I think you tried to do something good, but you were doing it for the wrong reasons and you went about it the wrong way" she said.

"Still a couple of citizens must have thought you had goodness in you, because you actually got a few votes. They knew you were looking out for them"

That didn't seem to change Pete's attitude because he gave Minnie a sour look.

"Big whoop!" he spat.

"I don't need their lousy votes. Just cough up my prize!"

"Pete!" Minnie snapped.

"They voted for you because they believe in you and care about you. How could you look down on that? I've tried to forgive a lot of things you've done, but this is too much. Now you've finally crossed the line"

Pete scoffed.

"Like that matters" he said.

"Besides, what are you gonna do about it?"

Minnie glared at Pete.

"Ha! I'm going to let you cool off for a while" she said.

"Guards!"

Magical brooms came forward and surrounded Pete.

"W-wait, what?" Pete sputtered.

The guards got closer and started to push him off the stage.

"Hey! Let me go! Put me down!" Pete cried.

"What? You can't –no-hey, easy!"

With that, they swept him off the stage and away from the festivity.

Minnie looked at the crowd when everything calmed down.

"Now, shall we continue with the ceremony?" she asked.

"Would the four winners, Ventus, Aqua, Lumen and Terra please come up and join me on the stage?"

Lumen slowly made her way up the stage. She had never won anything before, so she didn't know what to do.

When she reached the stage, Minnie looked around for the other three winners. When no one else came, she sighed.

"Oh dear, it looks like our other three winners couldn't make it here today" she said.

Lumen looked at her ring sadly.

"I guess I just missed them" she said sadly.

"Sorry Terra"

Minnie looked up at her.

"Perhaps you would accept the award on their behalf" she suggested.

"After all, you've been so kind to so many here at the Dream Festival. So now, I hereby present the Million Dreams Award…as a token of how much you matter to us. Congratulations!"

Everyone cheered for Lumen. Even though the other winners weren't present, at least one of them was.

Lumen laughed and cheered with the crowd. She was having so much fun with everyone that it was becoming contagious.

Minnie held up the prize for Lumen. It was an ice cream bowl filled with vanilla ice cream that was lined with slices of bananas, strawberry syrup and topped with whipped cream with a vanilla cookies shaped like angel wings.

"And as an extra treat, we've created something special-an ice cream flavor just for you" she said.

"Heavenly Delight Ice Cream!"

Lumen gasped happily as she was presented with the ice cream. She wanted to get some earlier but due to the stage breaking, it was put on hold.

But thanks to her kindness, she was getting some.

"Thank you" she breathed.

"Oh my, I wish I had my own ice cream flavor" Horace said.

"What's it taste like?" Chip asked.

"Go on, try it!"Dale cried.

Lumen looked at the crowed before looking back at her ice cream. It was so pretty that she didn't want to eat it. But everyone wanted to know what it tasted like and she was hungry.

Slowly, she brought the ice cream to her lips and tasted it.

"What do you think?" Minnie asked.

Lumen's face was flushed with sheer joy.

"It's wonderful" she said.

"It tastes like a dream"

Minnie smiled.

"We're all very glad you're enjoying it" she said.

Huey, Dewey and Louie looked at the ice cream longingly.

"That sure does look good" Huey said.

Lumen smiled and held the ice cream out.

"Go ahead and try some" she said.

"There's enough for everyone"

Everyone cheered as they were able to have a bit of the prize as well. They all felt lucky that they voted for such a kind and thoughtful person.

Everyone enjoyed the rest of the festival with their winner and new friend.

Even though Lumen wouldn't be staying on the world for long, she would always be remembered as hero to them.

/

Meanwhile, Pete stomped his foot in frustration.

He had been sent to a different dimension as punishment for being unfair during the festival.

"Who does she think she is, dumpin' me in a place like this?" he asked himself.

"Well, I'll just bust out of here and-"

"**Quiet fool! You do not possess that kind of power" **

Pete jumped when he heard someone talking to him. He didn't realize that it was the evil sorceress Maleficent.

"Who…who's there?" he cried.

"Show yourself!"

"**That is enough!" **Maleficent snapped.

"**Stop your sniveling and heed my words"**

Pete gulped.

"Um…ok" he said.

"**If you do as I say, I may decide to release you from this prison" **Maleficent said.

"Really?" Pete asked happily.

"Oh, then you can count on me. Just get me outta here, and you can tell me what to do!"

Maleficent laughed.

"**A very wise choice" **she said.

A dark portal opened up behind him.

"**Now…proceed. With your help, soon every world in existence will all be mine!"**

Pete laughed and went through the portal.

With his allegiance with Maleficent he sealed his fate of encountering a future sorceress of light.

/

**A/N: I'm sure you can guess who this sorceress of light is. She is the hero of this series after all. **

**I have to say, this was a fun chapter to write. I loved Disney Town and the games provided. **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	15. Olympus Coliseum

Chapter 15: Olympus Coliseum

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! I'm glad you guys liked Disney Town so much. I was thinking about drawing Lumen's ice cream, but I don't know if that would be weird or not. I'll let you guys decide.**

**I also had a few people questioning why Lumen easily accepted Terra's proposal when he's hurt her so badly. While I think she should have said otherwise, I have a reason for making her say yes. With the events that are about to unfold, Terra will be the only one who will make her keep going. So with that said, I hope I eased everyone's concerns.**

**Now we return to our favorite world of Heroes. And what better way to return than have one of our beloved Final Fantasy characters in it?**

**So sit back and enjoy the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

With a belly full of ice cream and a heart filled with content, Lumen set off for her next world. She had so much fun in Disney Town and made so many new friends that it tore her up to leave. But with worlds in trouble thanks to the Unversed, she knew that she had to put her needs aside and tend to everyone else.

That was not only her duty as a wielder of the keyblade, but also as a human being. If she didn't do anything, then she would be ashamed of herself.

So with that thought in mind, she pushed forward and continued with her quest of saving the worlds.

/

Ancient was the only word that Lumen could describe as she stepped onto Olympus Coliseum. Everything was so old basic that she felt like she stepped into the past.

Torches were pegged to the stone walls while cloth banners fluttered through the air.

The ground was so dusty that it would kick up every time she took a step.

Lumen was amazed by how everything looked. The coliseum that stood in the center was so grand that it looked like it was fit for a god.

She remembered her father telling her stories about in ancient times people used to build temples for the gods and held tournaments in their honor.

She smiled a little as she heard people cheer within the coliseum.

"The outside world is full of mysteries" she told herself.

She grew curious about what was going on inside the coliseum. With so many people cheering, something big must be happening.

She slowly started walking, not sure if she should go inside or just wait for someone to come out. She may have had a job to do, but it never hurt to take a break now and then.

"_Besides, I'm sure father would love to hear about this world. He's always fascinated by history" _she thought.

"Lumen?"

The keyblade wielder stopped in her tracks when she heard that voice.

Slowly turning around, she saw none other than her best friend, Aqua.

"Aqua"

The last time that they saw each other, things ended a little badly between them. Back on Radiant Garden, Lumen found out that Aqua was spying on Terra for her father and she kept it all from her. She was furious with her at the time, but after talking with Taiyouko, she realized that she was just acting like a best friend and looking out for her.

Aqua gave her a nervous smile as she slowly walked over to her. She must have felt bad with the way things ended between them since she couldn't look her in the eye.

Lumen frowned sadly. She felt bad with the way she treated Aqua. It wasn't her fault that she had to spy on Terra. She was just following orders.

She wasn't going to let this one incident ruin their long friendship.

She smiled softly and her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing ok" she said.

Aqua was surprised that Lumen was hugging her, but she simply hugged her back. She was so nervous that her best friend wouldn't want to talk with her, so she was very relieved that she wasn't getting the cold shoulder.

She pulled away from her and gave Lumen's shoulder a squeeze.

"The same goes for me" she said.

"I was starting to worry that something happened to you. You're all over the place that it's hard for any of us to keep track of each other

Lumen laughed.

"Hey, when you have worlds to save, you tend to be on the run" she said.

Aqua laughed a little before her smile fell.

Even though she was on better terms with Lumen, she knew she had to apologize. She would have wanted Lumen to apologize if the roles were reversed.

"Listen, Lumen" she said.

"I never meant to keep my mission from you. You're father begged me not to say anything and I was –"

Lumen held a hand up as a motion to stop.

"Don't worry about it" she said.

"I'll admit, I was a little hurt that you would lied to me like that, but I know your intentions were pure. You were just looking out for me and acting like the best friend that you are"

Aqua had a relieved smile on her face. She was so lucky to have such a kind hearted friend.

She pulled Lumen into another hug.

"I'm so sorry" she said.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

Lumen laughed.

"Of course" she said.

Aqua pulled away and sighed with relief.

"That's good"

Lumen just smirked.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Were you drawn by all of the commotion coming from the coliseum?"

Aqua shook her head a little.

"Not really, but now that you mention it, it doesn't sound like a bad idea" she said.

"If there are a lot of people in one place, then that means the Unversed will surely attack. They like to attack in large groups"

Lumen paled. If the Unversed appeared while whatever was going on inside, then chaos would be unleashed.

"We better go inside and see how things are" she said.

Aqua nodded.

"I'm right behind you"

They quickly headed for the entrance, only to be blocked up a group of Unversed.

The two girls summoned their keyblades and went to fight, only to have a tiny, fat faun quickly rush to their aid and go into a fighting stance.

"Stand back, sweetcheeks" he said.

"I'll take care of this"

Lumen and Aqua looked at each other for a moment before looking back at the faun. Did he really think that he could take on the Unversed all by himself?

It seemed that he couldn't because when he saw how many there were, he freaked out and ran off.

"Herc, they're all yours!" he cried.

A teenage boy ran over and took the faun's place. He was so gangly and thin that none of them thought he would hold out for very long.

Lumen and Aqua quickly braced themselves. It was thoughtful that this boy wanted to protect them, but they wouldn't allow an innocent human to get hurt.

They went to attack, only to find the boy charge at the Unversed and lift one of the very giant ones with his bare hands.

It was unbelievable. He looked so thin and weak and yet here he was, lifting very heavy Unversed as if they were feathers.

The boy threw the Unversed at the wall and watched as it faded upon impact.

"This boy has to be a god or something if he could throw them like that" Aqua said.

Lumen nodded dumbly.

She quickly snapped out of it when she realized that they weren't doing anything and letting this poor boy fight the Unversed.

They quickly stepped into action and fought off the Unversed when more showed up. It seemed that even though the boy had amazing strength, his reflexes were rather slow. Lumen and Aqua would block them when they tried to land a surprise attack and blast them away with their magic.

When the Unversed were gone, the three fighters smiled at each other gratefully.

The faun came out from his hiding place and sighed with relief.

"Oy! Those wackos almost made gyros out of me" he said.

Hercules sighed.

"Well, maybe if you weren't trying to show off…" he said.

The faun gave him a dirty look.

"Who asked you, kid?" he retorted.

"You'll understand when you're older"

Hercules looked at the ground sadly.

"And stronger" he said.

"Strong enough to become a hero"

Aqua and Lumen looked at him. This boy reminded them so much of Terra that it hurt. He wanted to become a keyblade master so badly that he had to train to the point that he would pass out. It always tore Lumen up whenever she saw him like that.

"You think being strong is the same as being a hero?" she asked.

Hercules nodded.

"Sure-mostly" he said.

"Look at how strong Terra is, and he's a champion!"

Lumen gasped at that.

Terra was here as well?

"Terra?" she chocked.

"He was here?" Aqua asked.

The faun coughed a little and slicked his hair back. It wasn't every day that a couple of chicks came at the coliseum, so he wanted to bask in this moment.

"So ladies, you got any plans for later?" he asked.

"You know, I've trained a few heroes in my time. Maybe I could recite a little epic poetry for ya"

Both of them looked a little put off. Didn't he realize that he was old enough to be their father? Plus, Lumen was already taken.

She secretly fiddled with her engagement ring at the thought.

"Do you guys really know Terra?" Aqua asked.

The faun nodded.

"Of course I do" he said.

"He's the local hero everyone's going gaga for-"

He stopped when he realized what was going on.

"Oh, now I get it. You're a couple of fangirls" he said.

"Everywhere I go it's terra-this and Terra-that…more like Terra-bull"

Lumen shook her head.

"Oh no, I'm just someone very special to him"

She secretly showed him his engagement ring. She didn't want Aqua to see, fearing that she would flip out.

Phil sighed when he saw the ring.

"Why do the good looking guys always get the chicks?" he whined.

Aqua gave him a sheepish grin.

"We're just looking for him" she said.

The faun scoffed.

"Yeah, tell me about it, sister" he said.

"You and the rest of Greece"

He grumbled as he started walking off.

"Kid shows up out of nowhere, goes and wins the first games he ever enters, dazzling the whole town…and then the nudnik up and vanishes!"

Hercules looked at them.

"Everyone says that Terra is the real thing, a true hero" he said.

"I can't wait until I'm that though"

Lumen smiled a little. She was happy that Terra was being praised so much on this world. He may not be a Keyblade master, but at least he was a hero.

The faun snorted.

"Yeah, right" he said.

"He's so tough that he turned the last schlemiel that faced him into a ravaging yahoo"

Hercules gave the faun a disappointed look.

"Come on, Phil. Be nice" he said.

Aqua held her chin in thought.

"So you're telling us he isn't here" she said.

Phil shook his head.

"He may not be here right now, but you never know" he said.

"He could always decided he's gonna show up for the games"

Hercules nodded.

"Yeah…to defend his title" he said.

Phil nudged his elbow on Lumen's leg.

"And if you enter, there's always a chance you might run into him" he said.

Lumen smiled at that. So she could see Terra? She really missed her fiancée ever since they parted.

"Really?" she asked.

Phil nodded.

"I'll eve n sign you up myself" he said.

"And if you need a trainer, I'd be more than happy to put you through the ropes"

Hercules pouted.

"But Phil…I had to practically beg you to agree to train me" he said.

Phil pressed a finger to his lips.

"Pipe down, kid" he hissed.

"You and they don't have the same attributes, if ya know what I mean"

The girls couldn't hear that last part and it was a good thing that they did. If they knew what Phil was talking about, he would be six feet under.

Lumen smiled brightly. Even though she wasn't a fighter, she was going to sign up for the games. If it meant she would see Terra, then she would go through with it.

"Please sign me up for the games" she said.

Aqua looked at her surprised.

"Are you sure, Lumen?"

She knew she wasn't a strong fighter, so she didn't know why her best friend was going through this.

Lumen smiled and nodded.

"I want to see Terra" she said.

"And I could always use the training"

Aqua sighed. She knew once her friend's mind was made up, there was no changing it.

But even though she didn't like it, that didn't mean she couldn't do anything about it.

If Lumen was going to enter, then so would she.

"If she enters, then I will too" she said.

"Our names are Aqua and Lumen"

She looked at Lumen.

"I don't want to see you get hurt" she explained.

Lumen smiled.

Leave it to Aqua to always watch your back.

Phil quickly put their names on the list for them to enter.

"Now let's start with the basics" he said.

Aqua smiled.

"Thanks, but we won't need a trainer" she said.

Phil hung his head in shame. And here he thought he would be able to train a couple of pretty girls.

"Women-they never change" he said.

"In that case, meet me in the vestibule when you're ready"

Lumen looked at Aqua when Phil left.

"Well, let's show everyone that Terra isn't the only one who is hero material" she said.

She held her hand out to her.

"It's time to add a little girl's touch"

Aqua laughed and grabbed her hand.

"I couldn't agree more" she replied.

They went inside the coliseum and took one step closer to becoming a hero.

/

"This is going to be exciting" Lumen said.

Aqua gave her a nervous smile as they entered the main lobby of the vestibule. Truth be told, she was rather worried about Lumen entering this tournament. Even though she was capable of defending herself, she wasn't that strong of a fighter. It wasn't that she was weak; it was just that her skill leaned more towards magic rather than physical strength. That was the downside for magic users. Even though they had amazing defensive strength, they were poor in physical strength.

This was the reason why she signed up with her best friend. Even though she was a master at magic, she was a bit stronger than Lumen. So in case anything happened during the tournament, she would be able to save Lumen in a second.

They entered the ring where the fights were being held.

"I wonder who we'll fight up against." Aqua wondered.

A group of Unversed appeared on the other end of the ring.

"I guess they are" Lumen said.

Phil signaled for the match to start.

Aqua and Lumen didn't hesitate to attack. Even though they were competing in a match, they still needed to get rid of the Unversed. They couldn't let a poor contender get hurt because of them.

The matches were fairly simple in their opinion. Since they knew how the Unversed fought, they were able to weave spell together to take out large groups.

Lumen got crafty with her shot lock ability and combined her feather blades with Aqua's bubble blaster. It was funny to watch the Unversed get trapped within the bubbles, only to be impales by razor sharp feathers moments later.

When the first set of matches were finished, Aqua and Lumen were cleared to head for the next round.

"Alright, ladies. Take five while we set up the next round" Phil said.

Aqua and Lumen walked back into the vestibule and went outsides to get some fresh air.

"See? I told you these matches wouldn't be that hard" Lumen said.

Aqua laughed a little.

"I guess not" she said.

"But it doesn't hurt to look after my best friend"

Lumen smiled. It was nice to know that Aqua had her back.

Hercules approached them.

"You guys were amazing out there" he said.

"You work great as a team"

Lumen smiled.

"Thanks" she said.

Aqua smiled a little as well.

"All that's left is the final…" she said.

"And still no sign of Terra"

Lumen frowned at that. Now that Aqua mentioned it, she never saw Terra either.

Could he have left this world already?

"The guy we're supposed to fight is someone named Zack" Aqua said.

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"Who's Zack?"

Just then, a boy around the same age as Hercules with black spiky hair appeared. Lumen had to step back since Zack got too close to their faces.

"Aqua and Lumen, right?" he asked.

"Hey, I'm Zack! Your opponent in the final"

Lumen was stunned by this boy's hyper personality. It almost reminded her of how Ven acted at times when he was really happy about something.

Zack smiled to the point where it couldn't grow any bigger.

"Man, finally!" he cried.

"Once I beat you two I get to take on Terra!"

That threw them for a loop.

Why would he fight Terra? Wasn't he already the winner of the pervious match?

"Terra? Why? I don't understand" Lumen said.

"Are you saying there's another match after the final?"

Zack scratched his chin.

"Uh-oh, looks like you didn't get the memo" he said.

Zack spotted Phil and realized he could explain everything.

"Oh, Phil! Would you tell them the rules?"

The faun sighed in annoyance.

"Fine, here's how it goes" he explained.

"The games are divided into two brackets-you got your East, and you got your West. The winners from each bracket face off in the championship match. Now right now, you're both competing in the East and we have no idea about the other side. For all we know, your boy Terra could be cruising' through over in the West"

Aqua sighed in annoyance.

"Then we should be fighting these matches" she said.

"We should be over there looking for him"

Lumen started to head back towards the Coliseum but Phil cut her off by blocking her path.

"No…you, uh…can't! It's not allowed!" he cried.

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" she asked.

Phil cleared his throat.

"Athletes are expressively forbidden from watching matches from other brackets" he explained.

Hercules looked at Zack.

"Did he just make that up?" he asked.

Zack shrugged.

"How should I know?"

Phil hung his head in defeat.

"Alright, fine!" he cried.

"Look, you just gotta stay and fight this match. The two athletes I entered defaulted before they made it to the top. Give a guy a break. I got a reputation"

Zack and Hercules looked at each other. They highly doubted that a couple of girls would be willing to do something for a guy like Phil. They had to cut the guy a break.

"Hey, do it for us too" Zack added hopefully.

Lumen looked at them before looking at Aqua. She really felt bad that Phil had no one to enter into the finals. If they were his only chance, then what choice did she have?

Aqua sighed when she saw the helpless look Lumen was giving her. Leave it to Lumen to tend to everyone's needs before her own.

She looked at Phil.

"Alright, then. We'll finish what we started" she said.

Phil smiled with relief.

"Oh, the gods are smiling on me today!" he cried.

"I'll be waiting for you in the vestibule"

He quickly ran off to get them set for the finals.

Hercules followed after Phil so he wouldn't do anything stupid while Zack stayed behind to chat with his opponents.

"You guys give it your best out there" he said.

Lumen smiled.

"Thanks Zack" she said.

"But aren't you a little intimidated? It's two against one. That doesn't really seem fair"

Zack laughed.

"That makes it even better" he said.

"If I can defeat two finalists at once, then I know I'll be one step closer to my dream. Besides, life is never fair"

He started doing squats to get warmed up. He wanted to be at his best for this match.

"I am so fired up!" he said.

"Aqua rubbed her chin in thought. She was wondering how Zack knew about Terra when he wasn't even from this world.

"Um, Zack. Terra is a friend of ours" she explained.

"How exactly do you know him?"

Zack smiled as he continued his squats.

"He saved my life" he said.

Lumen's eyes widen at that.

Zack smiled at the memory.

"During the last games…this dude named Hades tried to make Terra his pawn of darkness…and he used me to do it. He had some kind of magic or something that made me crazy, gave me…weird powers that I turned against Terra"

He stopped doing his squats.

"But you know what? Terra freed me. And he didn't need the darkness to do it"

Aqua looked at the ground.

"I had no idea…" she mumbled.

Zack ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, that's enough drama" he said.

"I'll see you both in the ring"

He went inside the vestibule to get ready for the match.

Lumen looked at her engagement ring after she heard Zack's story. It seemed that Terra really was keeping his promise to her. He wasn't letting the darkness in his heart help him accomplish his goals.

"_Terra" _she thought.

/

The finalists faced each other as they entered the ring. The air was tense as each side prepared themselves for the ultimate match.

Lumen and Aqua walked towards the center while Zack did the same. Even though it was two against one, they were both evenly matched. To have made it this far showed how powerful they really were.

Zack pulled out his sword and held it out.

"I promised Terra that I'd face him again fair and square" he said.

Aqua chuckled.

"The friendship between boys...it almost makes me jealous" she joked.

Lumen laughed and summoned her keyblade.

"At least you have me" she said.

Aqua smirked and summoned her keyblade as well.

Zack flew at them tried to land a blow at his opponents. Aqua and Lumen were fast, dodging him when he went to slam his sword down. His moves were predicable, but his speed made it so that it was hard to land a blow. Not to mention, he really packed a punch with each of his swings.

Lumen calculated that he leaned more towards the offensive approach than he did with the defensive. He was more focused with landing his blows than blocking those of his opponents.

This was going to make the match easy that it almost seemed unfair. Lumen shot Aqua a look, signaling their strategy to attack and win this match.

Aqua nodded and caught Zack's attention by fighting him while Lumen quickly planned the perfect set of spells.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly launched her fool proof plan.

"Blizzard!"

A pillar of ice sprung up from underneath Zack and encased him from the waist down in ice.

"What the?"

Lumen smirked.

"Fire!"

A ball of fire shot out of her keyblade and melted the ice that trapped Zack, while throwing him from the blast.

"Thunder!"

Lighting poured from the sky and touched any flat surface that it could reach. Zack had to run out of the way so he wouldn't get hit. Unfortunately, he held his sword out and attracted the lightning right away. Acting as a lightning rod, the sword absorbed the electricity and sadly zapped its wielder in the process.

Zack jolted from the electrocution and twitched as he fell to the ground.

Phil waved the flag, signaling that the match was over.

"Aqua and Lumen are the winners!"

Zack groaned as he slammed his fist into the ground.

"Aw, man. I lost!"

Lumen went up to him and gave him an apologetic smirk.

"Sorry, but I told you two against one wouldn't be fair" she said.

She held out her hand for him to take, which he did.

Zack smiled a little as he brushed himself off, showing that he wasn't mad at her.

"Hey, no hard feelings" he said.

He sighed.

"I've got a long ways to go if I'm gonna be a hero" he said.

Aqua and Lumen smiled.

They were glad that they were able to win the match and that Zack wasn't a poor loser.

However, that moment was broken when Hades; god of the dead suddenly appeared.

"Really-it's you two?" he retorted.

The god of the Underworld strolled over towards them.

"Here, I thought I'd drop in to see which muscle-head was up next, and…Holy Hydras! It's an itty bitty yellow canary and a little bluebird"

Aqua and Lumen glared daggers at him. They could feel the darkness oozing out of his being.

Zack growled at the god who used him.

"Hades!" he cried.

Hades just rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, was that a mosquito?" he replied.

"Where did I put that bug spray?"

"Mosquito?" Zack cried offended.

Aqua stood close to Lumen protectively.

"So your Hades" she sneered.

Lumen had murder written on her face as well.

"You used Zack, and tried to cast Terra into the darkness" she snapped.

Hades just laughed.

"So, I take it you're both acquainted with the spineless chicken heart" he stated.

"Terra is our friend" Lumen insisted.

"_And my fiancé" _she thought.

"And I hear he triumphed over the darkness. He's not spineless"

Hades laughed some more.

"Funny, ya know, 'cause I heard a different story" he said.

"Ya see, it was chicken heart who asked me for a little, shall we say…instructions on how to use the darkness in the first place"

Aqua and Lumen looked shock. If they didn't realize that this god was a big fat liar, they would have been hurt to even hear Terra stooping that low. Not to mention Lumen would have broken off her engagement with him.

But since this god was all talk, they didn't believe it.

"Never!" cried Lumen.

Hades smirked darkly.

"And he was so close to doing it, too, when the sap went and got cold feet" he added.

"Now if that ain't cowardly, I don't know what is. But you my little bluebird and tiny canary…why not flit over here and demonstrate some real courage for the winning team?"

Aqua and Lumen looked at his disgustedly.

"The darkness doesn't interest us!" Aqua declared.

Hades scoffed.

"Well that was rude" he said.

"A 'no thank you, your godliness' might've sufficed. Fortunately, I still get to-ahem-destroy you. Rules say you face me next. And I have a whole lot of darkness…with your names on it!"

With that, he disappeared.

"Get back here, Hades!" Zack cried.

But it was too late. The god of the Underworld was gone.

Zack sighed in frustration.

"Man, if only I were up against him" he said.

He looked at Aqua and Lumen.

"Aqua, Lumen. You gotta avenge me and Terra" he declared.

The girls nodded.

They weren't going to let this creep get away for what he did.

Not by a long shot.

/

"Do you think we have what it takes to beat Hades?" Lumen asked.

She had been excited about entering the finals, but now that she knew that she would be facing up against a god, she was having second thoughts.

Fighting a mortal was one thing, but fighting a divine being was a whole other story.

Aqua could sense her friend's worries and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I don't know if we can actually kill a god, but I'm sure we can defeat him" she said.

"I'm sure there are some limits that Hades must follow in order for the match to be fair"

Lumen fiddled with the ribbon in her hair.

"Judging by his personality back there, I don't think he's the kind of guy who plays fair" she said.

Aqua shrugged.

"If the match gets out of control, I'm sure Phil will do something"

She squeezed Lumen's shoulder.

"We've gotten this far, so why stop now?"

Lumen smiled weakly.

"Yeah, you're right" she said.

They entered the ring where the final match would commence. Zack sat in the bleachers, waiting to cheer them on.

"What's the worse he could do?" she asked.

"Bring in unexpected back up?"

Zack suddenly felt the air grow cold and held himself when he started the shiver.

Lumen saw her breath as she exhaled.

They all looked around, wondering where the cold air suddenly came from. The coliseum was really warm earlier and now it was cold.

Their answer came when a clawed, icy hand appeared at the top of the coliseum and revealed an ice titan as it stood up.

Aqua and Lumen backed up with the Ice titan stepped over the coliseum walls and entered the ring. Hades appeared by the Titan's feet and smirked evilly at the girls.

"I never said two-against-one" he replied.

Zack growled in frustration and jumped out of his seat to enter the ring.

"No fair, Hades!" he declared.

Aqua glared at Hades.

"I suppose that's in the rules?" she taunted.

Hades crossed his arms.

"Rules No. 2: Combatants may call for backup" he replied.

"You have one, so why can't I?"

"You won't get away with this Hades!" Zack cried.

Just as he was about to join Aqua and Lumen, Lumen blocked him with her keyblade. Zack looked at her stunned.

"Lumen?"

Lumen's expression was serious, but she managed a small smile. She didn't want Zack to get involved with this and have him get hurt.

"Don't worry, Zack" she said.

"We have this under control"

Zack looked at her for a moment, before slowly nodded.

Lumen looked at Aqua.

"Let's do this"

They both slowly walked towards their opponents. It seemed that they not only had to worry about Hades, but this ice titan as well. Hades must have picked up their methods from their match with Zack. If he fought them two against one, then he would surely lose. But if it was two against two, then that was a whole different story.

Lumen studied the situation they were in and what would be the best way to win this match without getting hurt. Obviously Hades was the fighter and this Titan was just an extra pair of eyes to keep them at bay. It would be impossible to each attack them since they could both strike at the same time. What they needed was a surprise attack.

Something that not even a god could comprehend.

Lumen thought of a plan that could work and looked at Aqua.

"Aqua" she said.

The keyblade master looked at her.

"When I say go, I want you to charge at Hades and distract him as much as you can. I think I have an idea that will get rid of snow cone over here"

Aqua nodded.

"I'll give you as much time as I can" she said.

Lumen nodded.

"It'll only take a second"

They faced Hades and the ice titan.

Lumen closed her eyes in concentration before suddenly snapping them open.

"Now!"

Aqua charged at Hades and fired off random spells. It was kind of hard to pick the right spells to use since Hades would absorb fire spells and if she used blizzard, the ice titan would block them from Hades and absorb them itself. But as long as she kept them from looking at Lumen, then she would use any spell she could think of. Anything so long as they didn't see what her best friend was up to.

When Lumen saw that Hades and the ice titan were focusing on attacking Aqua, she quickly unleashed her plan.

She knew that she has used this spell, even though she was forbidden to. But it was her ace in the hole when it came to serious fights. And since they were up against a god, she felt that this was the proper time to use it.

Slamming her keyblade into the ground, she performed the chains of light spell and had them shoot underneath the ground and spring up underneath the Ice titan. The chains wrapped themselves around the titan's massive feet tightened to where they couldn't be broken off.

The ice titan looked at his feet to see what was happening, but it was too late.

Using all the strength that she had, Lumen tugged on her keyblade and made the ice titan trip over his own feet.

Hades whipped around when he heard all the commotion and realized what was happening.

"You little brat!" he cried.

He summoned up a set of fireballs in his hands and charged them up to the point that they were the size of his head.

Lumen gulped when she saw that Hades was aiming for her and started to run.

Hades threw the fireballs, cursing every time that he missed. He kept throwing them and wouldn't stop until Lumen was burnt to a crisp.

Aqua panicked and quickly fired off blizzard spells to freeze the fireballs before they could hit Lumen.

"You stay out of this bluebird" Hades snapped.

"I'll get you once I finish your little yellow canary friend"

Aqua glared at Hades and aimed her blizzard spells at him. No one got away with hurting her friend while she was around.

Hades melted the chunks of ice when they hit him.

"Do you really think that will stop me?" he taunted.

"I am the lord of the dead and the inferno! I won't be defeated by a little frostbite!"

Just then, chains sprung up from the ground underneath him and wrapped themselves around him.

"What the?"

He saw Lumen out of the corner of his eye perform the same trick on him as she did with the ice titan.

"Then how about this, fire boy?" she asked.

Hades screamed in frustration and tried to melt the chains.

Aqua sighed and shot a powerful blizzard spell on him.

"Just chill" she said.

The lord of the dead was encased by a block of ice and ceased to move. Aqua knew that the ice wouldn't hold him for very long, but it would be enough to get rid of the Ice titan.

"Hurry Lumen!" she cried.

Lumen nodded and aimed her keyblade at the titan.

"FIRAGA!"

Her keyblade acted as a flame thrower as fire poured out of her weapon. The ice titan screeched in pain as it was slowly melting.

By the time that Lumen was finished, it was nothing more than a huge puddle.

Hades broke from the ice and growled when he saw his Ice titan defeated. He looked at Aqua and Lumen and knew that he had no chance against him on his own.

He had lost.

"I knew that snow cone wouldn't cut it. I need a real titan" he snapped.

"Stay tuned"

With that, he disappeared like the coward that he was.

Lumen went up to Aqua and gave her a hive fived.

"We did it! We won!" she cheered.

Aqua laughed as she celebrated with her friend.

"I guess a couple girls like us can beat a god after all"

Lumen just laughed and did a little victory dance.

It seemed that Lumen and Aqua proved that they were hero worthy in their own way. Not only did they beat a god, but they beat death itself.

If that wasn't hero worthy, then they didn't know what was.

/

With the match done and over with, the two girls left the coliseum to head for the next world. They had fun winning the tournament, but they had their duties to fulfill. They may have prevented the Unversed from attacking this world, but that didn't mean it saved the other worlds.

Zack walked out with them since he claimed that was the gentlemanly thing to do. But in truth he just wanted to be around the winners who beat Hades.

He sighed in annoyance as he placed his hands behind his head.

"Stupid Hades…next time, I'll put him in his place" he said.

Aqua and Lumen chuckled.

Zack really acted like a boy when it came to fights and stuff. He couldn't let go a grudge.

Zack smiled at them.

"Oh yeah! You guys are the champs-we gotta celebrate!" he said.

Lumen raised an eyebrow while Aqua looked skeptical.

"That won't really be necessary" Aqua said.

"Yeah, and we were doing you a favor by beating Hades" Lumen added.

"Since he used you and all"

Zack shook his head.

"No, no. We have to do something" he said.

"But what?"

He tapped his chin in thought, then smiled when he came up with an idea.

"I got it!"

He looked at Aqua.

"How about one date?" he offered.

Lumen had to stifle her laughter when she saw the look on Aqua's face. The poor girl was beat red as she tried to wave off the offer. Aqua was very modest and proper. She wouldn't go on a date with a guy she suddenly became friends with. Plus, there was a certain trouble maker friend of theirs that had her attention.

"_Ven" _she thought.

Aqua shook her hands in front of her.

"Oh! You mean-no…I have to leave right away…" she stuttered.

"Besides, I still have so much training to do"

Zack pouted and looked at Lumen.

"What about you, Lumen? Wanna go on a date?"

Lumen laughed a little and showed her engagement ring.

"Sorry, but I already belong to someone" she said.

Zack hung his head in defeat.

"Why do the pretty girls always get taken?" he whined.

"Oh well, I guess I still have a long ways to go"

Aqua gasped when she saw the ring and snatched her hand. Her eyes were huge when she saw the ring sparkle.

"Lumen…" she breathed.

"Did Terra…?"

Lumen nodded gently. She didn't want Aqua to know right away, but she figured her best friend should be the first person to know about the good news.

Well, technically, it should have been her father. But since he didn't even though that she and Terra were dating in the first place, she felt like that would be a bad idea.

"He wanted to prove that he still loved me and vowed to never use the darkness. So he proposed to me" she explained.

"I told him I'll give him a second chance, but if I ever find out he's still using the darkness, that I would break it off"

Aqua looked at her best friend stunned. She still couldn't believe that Terra proposed to her best friend.

Lumen bit her lip nervously, not liking how Aqua was looking at her.

"I would have told you, but I just didn't want anyone finding out yet" she said.

"Don't be mad"

Aqua wore a blank look on her face. Lumen didn't know if she was mad or upset and was starting to freak out.

She was about to plead with Aqua, only to find herself being pulled into a tight hug.

Aqua hugged Lumen tightly. She was happy that her best friend was engaged to the man she loved most, but she worried if Terra would hold onto his promise.

If he didn't he was going to pay.

"If he breaks your heart like that again, I swear I'll kill him" she said.

Lumen looked at her to see that she was serious and laughed nervously. Serious Aqua equaled dangerous Aqua.

Aqua let her go and gripped her shoulders.

"Terra's my friend, but you're my best friend" she said.

"I won't let him get away with breaking your heart"

Lumen smiled gently.

"He won't, I promise" she said.

"But at least I know I'll have you if he does"

Aqua smiled a little.

"I messed up by not letting you know what your father sent me to do" she said.

"I'm not going to ruin our friendship because of my mistakes. If Terra hurts you, I'll make it up by hurting him"

Lumen nodded and hugged her again.

"I know you will" she said.

Lumen was happy in a strange way.

She was a little freaked out by how serious Aqua was with hurting Terra, but then again, she was glad to have such a genuine friend.

True friends were hard to come by. Some friends come and go and others betrayed you. But true friends stayed with you until the end always had your back no matter what.

And that's what Aqua was. Even though she messed up sometimes and got on Lumen's nerves, she still stayed by her side and always looked out for her.

And believe it or not, that what a hero really was.

/

**A/N: I know that was a bad way to end this chapter, but I didn't want to drag it on any longer. I found it funny that Aqua is serious that she'll kill Terra if he screws up again and hurts Lumen. Friends like that are the best kind, but they're also the scariest. **

**Poor Phil, he can be such a perv at times, but you can't help but pity him.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	16. Deep Space

Chapter 16: Deep Space

**A/N: Hi everyone! I know it's been a while, but what can I say? Life has been crazy. I just saw the newest trailer for Dream Drop Distance and I have three words for you: I WANT IT! God, why can't it be March already? **

**Anyway, since the newest game is almost here, that means I need to move it with this story. It's hard to believe we only have a handful of chapters left to this story before it's over.**

**Oh, and I finally got a facebook page! So if any of you guys have one and want to ask questions about the series, feel free!**

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

"_You better make me one of your bridesmaids for the wedding" _

That was the last thing Aqua said before the two friends parted.

Lumen had to laugh really. She never expected Aqua to take Terra's proposal so easily. This was the girl who wouldn't hesitate to kill Terra or Ven if they made Lumen sad.

"You got to love Aqua" she said to herself.

She traveled in the Lanes Between in search of a new world. It was hard to believe how many worlds she had been to that the Unversed invaded. It was getting to the point that she feared all of the worlds were in danger.

"I wonder if the others know how serious this is?" she thought.

She hoped they did. Because if they didn't then they were in for a world of trouble.

She shook her head of those negative thoughts. Now wasn't the time to be thinking of worse case scenarios. She needed to be thinking of positive things…like her wedding.

She hadn't really thought about it since Terra proposed to her. With the way things have been, it was kind of hard to think about it.

Since she was traveling, now was the best time.

"Let's see…We'll need to figure out who to invite to the wedding" she said to herself.

"Obviously Aqua and Ven since they'll be the maid of honor and the best man. If father doesn't kill Terra when we tell him the news, then of course he'll come since he needs to give me away. Hmm, I don't know anyone else who I would want to invite since Aqua and Ven are my only friends. I guess this will be a small wedding"

Her mind drifted over to a certain sorceress she met back at Radiant Garden. Taiyouko was the only outside person who helped her out through her travels. She healed her when she got hurt by the Unversed that were trying to get to Hikari. She saved her from being abducted by Vanitas. And she gave her wonderful advice about Terra and what she should do with her life.

Even though she didn't know her for very long, she considered Taiyouko to be a dear friend. She went out of her way to help a stranger when she didn't have to.

That counted at a friend in her book.

"I wonder if she would like to come to the wedding?" she thought.

"She did help me out with Terra. She deserves to be invited more than anyone else that I know"

She smiled at that idea.

"Yeah, I think she should come…but I wonder how she would be able to get to my world?"

The sound of humming broke her train of thought as a large shadow covered over her.

"What the?"

She loved over her shoulder to see a gigantic space ship slowly flying over her.

"That can't be good" Lumen said.

She didn't have the time to be caught by some random ship. She had Unversed to defeat.

She pushed her keyblade glider to the maximum speed it could reach. Yet, despite its speed, it was no match for the ship. The space ship slowly flew over her and caused its gravitational pull to bring Lumen closer to the ship.

"Oh no!"

The tried getting away from the ship, but the gravitational pull just sucked her up.

The last thing Lumen knew before she blacked out was screaming and seeing a similar glider like hers getting sucked up.

/

_Lumen found herself standing before the strange pillar again. The darkness was much vaster than before and everything about this place chilled her to the bone._

"_It's been a while since I saw this place" she said._

"_I was starting to forget about it"_

_She looked at the ground and saw the blurry image along with the familiar writing._

_One heart fulfills all hearts._

_All hearts lead to the same heart._

_In order to link everything back together, the chains must be broken._

_However, to make the chain whole, you must gather the pieces._

_A broken chain makes a whole chain._

_You are the chain that will link everything back together again._

_Lumen smirked a little a shook her head._

"_Nope. Still don't understand what this means" she said._

_She walked over to the image of the person. The image was still blurred out and was hard to tell who it looked like. But she could sense great importance from it. _

"_Maybe this person is the key to the riddles" she thought._

_She looked up at the black sky._

"_Is that it?" she called out._

"_Do I need to know who this person is in order to figure out the clue?"_

_The ground shattered underneath her and plunged her deep within the darkness again._

_She closed her eyes and waited for the voice that would fill her head as she blacked out._

"**Hey…can you hear me?"**

/

"Are they the one?"

"Yes, Grand Councilwoman. I've confined them until we can determine what they are"

Lumen groaned when she heard voices. She felt herself on a rather uncomfortable bed with a splitting headache. Forcing her eyes to open, she slowly looked around to a room made out of metal. It was small and cramped and was probably not made for anyone to live in.

Slowly sitting up, she viewed the room to see that it was like a prison cell.

"What is this place?" she groaned as she held her head.

"Where am I?"

The sound of gunfire caught her attention and caused her to run towards the glass window of her cell.

Looking down, she saw two alien like creatures backing away from a group of Unversed. One was a small, petite looking alien while the other was as huge as a whale. The whale giant fired off at the Unversed while it was protecting the smaller alien.

"Take cover! Leave it to me to handle these fiends" it ordered.

"Whatever you are, you're under arrest…eventually!"

Lumen watched in horror as the Unversed followed them out of the room.

"They're here too?"

She pressed her head against the glass in frustration.

"Why must my work always be hard?"

She looked around the room to see if she could find a way out of here, but came up with nothing.

"This is not the best time to be arrested. I need to get rid of those Unversed"

She tried banging on the glass, but it wouldn't shatter.

Pressing her head against the glass in frustration again, she groaned.

"_Why me?" _she thought.

She spotted someone running where the two aliens were before. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was none other than Terra.

She gasped when she saw her fiancé. The last time that she saw him was when he asked her to marry him. It felt so long ago with all the traveling she did that she almost felt like crying.

She banged on the window again in hopes of getting his attention. If he was out there, then he could help her.

"Terra!" she cried.

"Terra!"

Terra stopped in his tracks when he heard his name. Looking around the cells for the person who called him, his eyes landed onto Lumen's cell. His eyes grew huge as he breathed her name.

Dashing over to her cell, he pressed his hands onto the glass and looked at her with worry.

"Lumen?" he cried in disbelief.

Lumen smiled weakly when she saw Terra up close. She never realized how much she missed him until then.

"Terra" she choked.

Terra returned the smile.

"How did you get in here?" he asked.

Lumen shook her head.

"I don't know" she said.

"I was sucked up by this giant ship and woke up in here. I don't know how to get out"

Terra looked for a button that would open the door to her cell.

"Hang on, I'll get you out"

Finding the switch, he slammed his fist into it, causing it to open automatically.

When the cell door open, Lumen ran into Terra's arms. She had missed her fiancé so much that she just had to hold him. Terra held her close and ran his hand through her hair. It seemed he had missed her too.

When the stepped away from each other, they both wore looks of confusion.

"Why are you here?" Lumen asked.

Terra shrugged.

"I got stuck here like you did" he said.

"I guess that ship must have picked us up or something"

Lumen looked at the door where the two aliens ran off.

"I think the Unversed are on this ship" she said.

"We need to get rid of them before they take over the whole ship"

Terra nodded and grabbed her hand.

"Let's go" he said.

They started walking off, but were stopped by someone.

"Very impressive"

The couple looked at one of the cells to find an alien in prison clothing. Obviously this alien did something bad if he was locked up in here.

Terra tugged Lumen away from the cell. He didn't want Lumen to get caught up with this.

"Let's go, Lumen"

The alien panicked when he saw them leave and tapped on the glass.

"Wait! You help?" he asked with his deep Russian accent.

They stopped again, giving him an annoyed look while the alien gave them a pleading look.

"I have been imprisoned on ridiculous charges!" he insisted.

Terra raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he asked.

The alien nodded.

"I am innocent scientist who created galaxy's most destructive-uh…constructive species of all times. Why my experiment could annihilate those pesky creatures you saw earlier"

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

A creature that could fight off the Unversed?

"Really?" she asked sarcastically.

The alien nodded.

"He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than a supercomputer. He can see in the dark and move objects 3,000 times his rather diminutive size. And for reasons preposterous, the Federation Council fears him. They take him away from me and throw me here in small, stuffy, rather badly lit cell"

"Because he's so powerful?" Terra asked.

He didn't know why, but he felt drawn to the creature.

The alien nodded.

"Exactly. Everyone always gets antsy in pantses when somebody more powerful is in the neighborhood. You understand perhaps?" he said.

Lumen looked at Terra with concern. She had a feeling that he was thinking about the Mark of Mastery exam and how her father picked Aqua instead of him. She knew he felt bad about it, but that didn't mean he was feared.

She didn't like this alien, but she didn't want her fiancé to think irrationally.

"Terra?" she asked.

Terra looked at her and saw the pleading look in her eyes. He knew what she was thinking. She didn't want him to make any mistakes. He made a promise to change for the better for her sake. If he didn't then she wouldn't have agreed to marry him. But he just couldn't help but want to rescue the experiment. Maybe it was because he felt the same as this foreign creature or maybe it was because it's what his heart told him to do.

Either way, he had to get off this space him and get Lumen out of here.

And this alien was their only hope.

"What should we do, Terra?" Lumen asked quietly.

Terra squeezed her hand.

"Why don't we just help him?" he asked.

Lumen looked like she was about to protest, but he silenced her.

"If we help him, maybe he can help us get out here" he said.

"I don't really trust him either, but he probably knows this ship a lot better than we do. Plus, we're considered prisoners here anyway"

Lumen bit her lip. She didn't like this one bit, but Terra did have a point.

"Fine" she said.

"But if he gets us killed, I'm going to kill you myself"

Terra chuckled a little.

"I'll hold your word to that" he said.

He looked at the alien.

"We'll let you out" he said.

"But you have to help us get off this ship, deal?"

The alien nodded.

"Deal"

Terra released him from the cell and watched as he walked around.

"Experiment 626" he said.

"Is name I give to adorable, fluffy creature you are helping for to rescue. And I am genius scientist who created him, Dr. Jumba Jookiba"

Terra regarded him with a nod.

"I'm Terra"

Lumen just gave him an untrustworthy stare.

"Lumen" she replied.

Jumba nodded and headed towards the door leading to the rest of the ship.

"626 is this way" he said.

"Hurry!"

Lumen sighed and looked at Terra.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to end bad?" she asked.

Terra just grabbed her hand and followed Jumba.

"Don't worry too much" he said.

"I'll make sure he doesn't pull anything"

Lumen groaned and followed them out of the prison cell.

/

The three of them secretly walked through the corridors of the ship. Since they were escaped convicts, chances are there would be guards roaming the ship.

Terra was in the lead of the group as he scanned the hallways. Since it was his idea to free Jumba, it was his duty to make sure everyone was safe.

"Where did you say this experiment was?" he asked.

"Up on the second floor" Jumba said.

"He's in solitary confinement because of his massive powers. They plan to send him out into deep space for it"

"Then we better hurry" Lumen said.

"I haven't seen any guards yet, but that doesn't mean they're not around"

Terra nodded and scanned the hallway before they carefully moved forward. They had to be quiet if they wanted to get out of here.

Unversed would appear here and there as they walked, but it was nothing that Terra couldn't handle. Lumen would get a little frustrated when he told her to stay back while he did all the fighting.

"I could have handled it too, you know" she said.

Terra dismissed his keyblade and looked at her.

"I know, but I'm not taking any chances here" he said.

"Besides, it's the man's job to look after their wife-or future wife in this case"

Lumen blushed at that but looked away. He knew just what to say to get himself out of a beating.

"Jerk" she spat.

Terra just chuckled.

"Yet you still love me"

Lumen just stomped forward. Why did Terra have to be so charming at times?

They rounded another corner, only to hide when they saw a set of guards. They appeared to be just patrolling the hallway, but they didn't want to be caught.

"This creates problem" Jumba said.

"Experiment 626 is down that hallway"

Lumen held the bridge of her nose. Of course they had to go down that hallway.

"Is there any other way to get there?" she asked.

Jumba shook his head.

"I'm afraid not" he said.

"This ship is what you would say, very simple. Only one way paths"

Lumen looked at Terra.

"Do you think you can knock them out?"

Terra shook his head.

"I don't know" he said.

"They have guns on them, so I don't know what they can pull"

Lumen looked at the guards. They didn't appear to be threatening, but those guns said a different story. They were likely to attack anyone they deemed threatening, but what if were a woman in distress?

Sighing, she flipped back her hair dramatically.

"Looks like I'll have to play that card then" she muttered.

Terra looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you have in mind?"

Lumen adjusted her outfit to make herself look presentable while ruffling her hair up to give it more volume.

"The only thing a woman is capable of in these kind of situations: charming"

She walked near the corner of the hallway and looked at the guards.

"Just leave it to me. I know how to handle these guys" she said.

Terra didn't know what she was up to, but he knew better than to stop her. She could be very scary when she was angry or upset. His face still stung from when she slapped him earlier.

"Be careful" he said.

Lumen laughed and clasped Terra's face.

"Relax" she said.

"You're not marrying an idiot, now are you? Leave it to me"

She strutted over to the guards. Willing fake tears to come, she quickly went into the damsel in distress mode and ran over to the guards.

"Oh somebody! Please help me!" she cried dramatically.

The guards turned around when they heard her, but lowered their guns when they saw it was just a woman.

Lumen faked a sniffle as she wiped one of her tears.

"Oh, thank goodness I ran into you" she 'wept'.

"I thought I was doomed"

The guards looked at each other before looking at her. It was obvious that they didn't recognize her when the ship picked her up, so they didn't know she escaped.

"Uh, what seems to be the problem, ma'am?" one of the guards asked.

Lumen mentally smirked when she realized they were falling into her trap.

"Oh, it's horrible" she sobbed.

"I was being chased by these strange looking monsters that appeared out of nowhere and now I'm utterly lost! I have no idea where I am but I'm afraid that those monsters will attack me again! Please, you have to help me!"

The guards looked at each other, clearly at a loss of words before shrugging.

"Um, I suppose we could take you to the Grand Councilwoman" one of them said.

"Maybe she could help you"

Lumen smiled hopefully.

"You're too kind" she said.

The guards turned around and typed into their com links. They never saw Lumen secretly summon her keyblade behind her back.

"We'll just let the Councilwoman know you're with us" one of them said.

"What did you say your name was?"

The next thing they knew their heads were hit with something hard.

Terra and Jumba flinched when they saw Lumen knock out the guards.

Lumen flipped her hair over her shoulder as she looked at the guards passed out.

"Thanks for the help" she said.

She looked over to where Terra and Jumba were.

"Ok, it's safe"

They went over to her and looked at her in disbelief.

Lumen just shrugged.

"What? I said I could handle fighting too. Now let's go find this experiment so we can get out of here"

She walked ahead of them in search of experiment 626.

Jumba looked up at Terra.

"You say she's your fiancée?" he asked.

Terra nodded like an idiot.

"Uh-huh"

Jumba patted his shoulder.

"You're one lucky lad"

Terra just watched Lumen walk ahead of them.

"I sure am" he muttered.

/

"Here we are! This is where they're keeping 626" Jumba said.

Terra and Lumen viewed the giant door in concern. Why would they keep such a tiny little thing in such a big and probably heavily guarded room?

Jumba typed the code that would allow them access and entered the room.

Terra and Lumen slowly followed to see what this 'incredible' experiment was. They were expecting a scary looking monster that would rip their faces off if it had the chance.

But they never expected…this.

Floating in a caged pod in the center of the room was a blue dog like alien with four arms and wearing a red suit. The tiny thing was growling and shouting gibberish in an alien language as it spotted them.

Lumen didn't know if she should find it cute or disturbing.

"It's cute" she said.

"In a scary, disturbing way"

Terra snorted at his fiancée's logic. Of course she would try to say something nice about something that was super creepy.

"Amazing, is he not?" Jumba asked.

He went up to his creation proudly.

"Such tremendous power in such itty-bitty package. Truly, he is the one and that' the only- the mightiest creature in the galaxy. And his only, singular instinct-to destroy everything he touches"

That's when the red flags flashed into Terra and Lumen's heads.

Destroy?

Jumba pushed a button to open the pod.

"Here, see?"

Experiment 626 launched out of the pod and latched itself to Terra. Lumen screamed a little when it crawled all over Terra's body before jumping to the ceiling, holding out Aqua's good luck charm.

Terra and Lumen looked at him in disbelief. When did he get that?

"When did you-?"

Terra looked at himself before holding his hand out to 626.

"Give that back!" he ordered.

"Too late, is already marked for destruction" Jumba said.

Lumen paled in horror. Aqua worked so hard to make those charms. It couldn't be destroyed.

Terra had the same thought as he looked at the alien desperately.

"No stop!" he pleaded.

"My friend made me that!"

He looked shocked at what he said. Lumen looked at him for a moment as well.

Jumba laughed.

"'Friend'? Are you joking?" he laughed.

"Such concept is totally lost to 626!"

Lumen gave him a harsh stare that cause him to shut up right away.

Looking back at 626, she gave him a pleading look.

"Can we have that back, please?" she asked.

"It's really precious to us"

626 looked at her for a moment as if trying to digest her words before looking back at the charm. Grunting, he tossed it to her before scurrying away to who knew where.

Lumen picked up the charm and handed it to Terra.

"It's ok, he didn't break it" she said.

Terra slowly took the charm from her and looked at it sadly.

"Funny…" he muttered.

"This whole time I've been telling myself I want to be stronger, more independent…but the second I let my heart do the talking…I find out how little I really know myself. And how much I miss them"

Lumen looked at him sadly. It always tore her heart when she saw him act this way. It was like he didn't give himself enough credit.

"Terra…"

Terra just gave her a weak smile before looking at Jumba.

"That experiment of yours…you sure about him?" he asked.

"Maybe in his heart, he wants friends just like the rest of us"

Jumba scoffed at that idea.

"Impossible! He has no actual feelings-only destructive instincts I have carefully chosen for him"

He smiled darkly.

"Or perhaps you need another demonstration of my evil geniusness!"

He held up a beaker full of liquid and a pill reading '221'. Dropping the pill into the beaker, they watched as it glowed brightly before transforming into another alien like 626.

Electricity zapped off the alien's body as it laughed.

"Meet experiment 221" Jumba said.

Terra and Lumen summoned there keyblades.

"I told you this was going to end badly" Lumen said.

"Don't remind me" Terra groaned.

Experiment 221 zipped around them thanks to his lightning abilities and made it impossible for them to land a hit.

Terra tried landing a hit on the alien, but the blasted thing would merge into one of the guns that were in the room and fire at them. Lumen put up a shield to protect them from the blasts.

"There has to be a way to defeat this thing" Terra said.

Lumen looked around the room to see if she could find anything that would help them, but came up with nothing.

"_I guess they didn't want to take any chances with 626" _she thought.

She studied experiment 221 and noted his abilities. Apparently he only used lighting based attacks and could zip away whenever they tried to land a hit. He also liked to merge things that worked with electricity.

She suddenly recalled that water and electricity didn't work well with each other. If there was any type of water in the area, then maybe she could….

She grinned at her idea and looked at Terra.

"Terra! I have an idea! You distract him while I put it together"

Terra nodded and tried attacking 221 but failing each time.

Lumen quickly went to work and created large pillars of ice in each corner of the room. Each of those pillars were connected by a light chain, which Lumen held the end of. Looking at where Terra was, she saw experiment 221 on the ground-right where she wanted him.

"Terra! When I say to, jump on the platform 626 was on!"

Terra nodded and kept 221 at bay.

Lumen held up the end of the 'fuse' she created and lit it was a mild fire spell. The fire zipped down the chain and hit the blocks of ice. Every time the flames hit the ice, each pillar would melt into a puddle. When the last one melted, Lumen jumped on the platform with Terra and watched as 221 stepped into one of the puddles. The tiny zapped itself badly to the point where in converted back to its pill form.

Jumba looked at the tiny pill in horror.

"Oh…you'll be alright, little one" he said.

Terra and Lumen went up to him with glares on their faces. They went out of their way to help him escape and he had the nerve to try to kill them? He was going to pay.

And he would have, if experiment 626 didn't return. The tiny blue alien scurried over to them and looked at them with interest.

Jumba looked at his creation with confusion.

"What is it? Why have you returned?" he asked.

626 responded in his alien gibberish.

"Maybe he's wondering what a friend is" Terra said.

He went up to the tiny alien with Lumen close behind. She wondered if he wanted to know what friends were as well. She did admit, she thought he was strange, but she found him to be cute in his own way.

Terra gave the alien a kind smile.

"My name is Terra" he said.

626 tilted his head.

"Ter…ra…" he said.

Terra chuckled a little..

"Yes. I can't explain friendship" he said.

"When you feel it, you'll know"

Lumen knelt in front of 626.

"I'm Lumen" she said.

"Loo-men" 626 said.

Lumen giggled.

"If you want, I can be your first friend"

She saw bits of machine pieces and came up with an idea. Putting them together, she created her own version of Aqua's good luck charm. It was little odd misshapen, but it fit 626.

"_Odd, but cute at the same time" _she thought.

"Here, now you have your own good luck charm" she said.

626 looked at the charm for a moment before taking it. He said a few alien words before looking at Lumen.

"Friends" he said.

Lumen nodded.

"Yup, we're friends"

Sirens suddenly went off in the room.

"**Red alert! Red alert! Experiment 626 and three prisoners have escaped from the cell bay. Security, locate the fugitives immediately"**

"That doesn't sound good" Lumen said.

626 and Jumba quickly left the room to avoid capture.

"Time to go!" Terra said.

He used his keyblade and opened a portal to the Lanes in Between.

"We can escape through here" he said.

"But we need to spilt up in case they follow us"

Lumen looked at him sadly. She didn't want to leave him just yet, but he had a point. If one of them got caught, then the other would as well.

Nodding sadly, she hugged him tightly.

"Please be safe" she said.

Terra ran his hand through her hair.

"Of course I will" he said.

"You can't get married by yourself"

Lumen smiled weakly and let him go.

"I'll see you soon" she said.

Terra nodded and quickly activated his armor before he went off on his glider.

Lumen quickly followed and flew off in a different direction in case they sent ships off to get them.

Looking over her shoulder, she watched Terra as he got smaller and smaller to the point he was no longer visible.

"_Terra…" _she thought.

How long would it be until she saw him again? When would they be together? When would they be able to marry?

Those were the things that Lumen hoped that she wouldn't have to think when planning her wedding.

/

**A/N: poor Lumen, even though she got to see Terra, it wasn't for long. Makes you wonder if they'll ever get to have their wedding. **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	17. Neverland

Chapter 17: Neverland

**A/N: This is it everyone! This is the final world that Lumen will explore before everything spirals downhill for her (I know she still has to go to Destiny Island, but she doesn't explore it like the other worlds) Can you believe that we have only a handful of chapters left before this story is over? **

**I'm sure you guys are sad about it, but then again, I bet you want to see Hikari and Riku again.**

**Oh! And I figured out what Lumen's music theme should be! It's Lily's theme from Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows part 2. I just thought it fit her perfectly for some reason. Tell me what you think about that.**

**Anyway, onward with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

A full day of traveling had resulted in landing on an island. Lumen had no idea how she wound up here, but then again, she couldn't remember driving her keyblade glider. The poor girl was so tired that she felt like a zombie just walking around.

"It feels as if I've been traveling for months when it's only been a few weeks" she muttered.

She stifled a yawn as she sluggishly made her way through the jungle. She hadn't ran into any Unversed so far, but she didn't want to leave her guard down. The enemy always loved vulnerable prey.

Almost tripping over a lose root, Lumen realized that she was way too tired to continue walking.

"_At this rate, I'll be the one who kills myself and not the Unversed" _she thought.

Looking around, she found herself near a shaded area of the jungle. It wasn't very open, but it wasn't crowded either.

"This looks like a good place to nap" she mumbled.

Lowering herself to the ground, she made herself comfortable before closing her eyes.

"I'll just take a quick nap then continue searching" she said to herself.

She was out like a light the moment she closed her eyes and had a very familiar dream.

/

_It was no surprise when Lumen found herself standing on the pillar again. After being here so many times, it almost became a permanent place in her heart. _

_Everything was the same from the writing to the faded image in the middle. _

"_I'm here again and yet I don't know why" she said to herself._

"_What could this clue mean and why am I the one who is seeing it?"_

_The pillar glowed as the image became more visible. Lumen saw that it resembled a girl of some kind and appeared to be wrapped up in chains. She couldn't see a face or what type of clothing the girl was wearing. The only thing she knew was that she knew who this girl was and she was tied with her._

"_Who could this be?" she asked._

"_Could she be the reason why I'm having these dreams?"_

_The ground crumbled underneath her once more and plunged her into the deepest abyss. _

_She closed her eyes when she heard the voice in her head once more._

**Hey…can you hear me?**

_Lumen opened her eyes sadly as she watched herself fall._

"_Yeah…I hear you" she said quietly._

"_But I wonder…can you hear me?"_

/

"Let's try kicking her!"

"No! Pan said to never hit a girl"

"Well, how are we supposed to wake her up then?"

"I dunno? Why don't we poke her with a stick?"

"That's stupid!"

"Wait, Tink said she'll wake her up"

Lumen felt someone lightly tap her cheek as she was woken from her dream. It seemed while she was sleeping, someone noticed her and came by to see what was going on.

Groaning, she cracked her eyes open to find a fairy hovering over her face.

"Whoa!"

She quickly sat up, hitting her face into the fairy. The fairy spun in the air from the impact and got angry at Lumen.

The keyblade wielder smiled sheepishly and picked the fairy up so she could fix her outfit.

"Sorry, you just startled me" she said.

The fairy just crossed her arms in a scoffing manner.

The sound of two children laughing caught her attention and made her turn around. Standing a few feet from her were two boys wearing animal skin clothing. One was dressed as a fox while the other was dressed as a boy.

The two of them quickly stopped laughing when they noticed they were caught and freaked out.

"Oh! She's up!" the bear boy cried.

"Gee, Tinker bell, why did you have to wake her up?" The fox boy complained.

Tinker bell, the fairy just made gestures with her hands, showing that it was their idea to wake Lumen up.

"We didn't tell you to wake her up" The fox boy said.

Lumen chuckled a little at their bickering and broke it up.

"It's alright, I had to wake up anyway" she said.

She stood up and brushed her skirt off before she looked at the boys.

"Thanks for waking me up, but why are you out here?" she asked them.

"Don't you know it's dangerous for a couple of children to roam a jungle like this?"

The fox boy waved her off.

"We travel around here all the time" he said.

"Yeah, and we came out here because Tinker bell said she found a boy and girl sleeping out here" the bear boy added.

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"A sleeping boy?" she repeated.

The bear boy nodded.

"Yeah, he's right over there"

He pointed over to one of the trees that were a few feet away from them to find Ven sleeping.

Lumen gasped.

"Ven!"

She quickly went up to him and gentle woke him up.

"Ven, wake up" she said softly.

Ven groaned from being woken up, but opened his eyes.

He quickly sat up when he saw Lumen and smiled.

"Lumen!" he cried.

"What are you doing here?"

Lumen crossed her arms.

"I'm wondering the same thing about you" she said.

"Why are you here? You were suppose to return home"

Ven flinched when Lumen scolded him. He almost forgot he was in big trouble with her.

"I just wanted to make new friends" he said.

"Now that I know Terra's alright, I just want to see what's out there. I haven't gotten in trouble and have defeated a couple of Unversed"

Lumen just scowled.

"That doesn't change anything" she said.

"When someone tells you to do something, you do it; no questions asked"

"Oh? So if someone told me to jump off a cliff, I should do it?" Ven taunted.

That gave him a smack upside the head from Lumen.

"Don't get cheeky with me" she snapped.

"Um…"

The two of them looked at the boys who were standing a ways off. It seems that they had heard their argument this whole time.

"Oh, sorry about that" Lumen said.

"You weren't suppose to hear that"

"It's alright" the bear boy said.

"But who are you guys anyway?"

Lumen blushed, realizing she never introduced herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I'm Lumen" she said.

"And I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven" Ven added.

Lumen glared at him.

"You're not getting off the hook just yet" she said.

Ven gulped.

The two boys laughed.

"You guys are funny" the fox boy said.

"Peter Pan would love you"

Tinker bell suddenly went up to the boys and tugged on the fox boy's ears. The fox boy groaned with annoyance.

"Alright, alright, we're going" he said.

"So long!" The bear boy said.

The two of them followed their fairy friend while Ven and Lumen were left behind.

"Hey! Where are you guys off to?" Ven called out.

The boys stopped and looked at them.

"Tink saw a shootin' star and we're gonna hunt it down!" the bear boy said.

Ven's eyes lit up at that.

"A shooting star?" he repeated.

"Mind if I come along?"

The boys shrugged.

"'Course not" the fox boy said.

"But you have to agree to follow us"

Ven nodded.

"Deal!"

He went to follow them, but a hand stopped him in his tracks. Lumen wore a nasty scowl on her face as she glared at Ven.

"Hold it right there, young man" she said.

"I told you that you're not off the hook"

Ven groaned.

Sometimes he hated it when Lumen acted like a mother to him. She took the fun out of everything sometimes.

"But Lumen" he whined.

"I want to find the shooting star"

Lumen growled.

"No. You're going home" she said.

"You were suppose to be home anyway, not finding shooting stars"

Ven pouted a little before he came up with an idea.

"If you let me find the shooting star, I promise to go straight home after this" he said.

"I swear!"

Lumen studied him for a moment to see if he was lying. When she didn't find anything, she sighed and let him go.

"Fine" she said.

"But after we find the shooting star you go straight home" she said.

"No side detours, no visiting new worlds, no nothing"

Ven nodded.

"Deal!"

Lumen sighed and held the bridge of her nose.

"Alright then, let's find this shooting star"

Ven cheered and pumped his fist.

"Right!"

They followed after the boys as Tinker bell led the way to the shooting star.

/

The two boys had lead them to a tree house of some kind. From the way the boys reacted, it looked like this is where they lived.

Lumen studied the area carefully. Since she was the oldest in the group, she made sure none of the boys got hurt or were attacked by the Unversed. She didn't see any of them since they followed the boys, but she didn't want to take any chances.

"This place looks cool" Ven said.

Lumen smirked. Even though Ven acted mature for his age, he was still a kid at heart.

The sound of a victory cry echoed through the area as someone approached the tree house.

A teenage boy wearing all green was flying around the tree and around the area. The boys smiled when they saw him and cheered.

"Peter Pan!" they cried.

Peter heard them and flew down towards them. He smiled at his companions before looking at Lumen and Ven.

"Who do we have here?" he asked.

"Never seen you before"

Ven smiled.

"I'm Ven and this is my friend, Lumen"

Lumen just waved.

Peter just nodded and went over to the two boys.

"Ten-shun!" he ordered.

The boys saluted him right away. Peter crossed his hands behind his back and paced back and forth.

"Now then, men. I don't suppose you'd wanna capture some real pirate treasure?"

The boys faces lit up.

"Real pirate treasure?" the bear boy asked.

"Sure!" The fox boy cried.

Peter Pan smirked.

"Well, guess who caught sight of Hook right when he was stashing his treasure?" he asked.

"Whaddya say we sneak in and grab it?"

The boys cheered.

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Tinker bell got right into their faces and threw a fit. Did they honesty forget about the shooting star.

Realization dawned on their faces as they frowned.

"We were all supposed to go hunting for a shooting star together" Lumen explained.

Peter Pan just waved her off.

"Forget that" he said.

"Pirate treasure is much more fun"

Lumen made a face. Now that was very rude of him.

Tinker bell must have thought the same thing because she threw a fit as well. She flew off, leaving the rest of them behind.

"Well that's rude" Peter Pan said.

He looked at Ven and Lumen.

"What about you two?" he asked.

"I'm sure you'd be much more fun than her"

Lumen just scoffed. This boy clearly didn't understand how women felt or cared about certain things.

She didn't want to find any silly pirate treasure when this boy was simply going to be rude.

"We'd love to, but we want to find that shooting star first" she said.

Ven just nodded, knowing to not disagree with her.

Peter Pan just shrugged.

"Fine, it's your loss then"

He flew off with the two boys following after him.

"Such a rude boy" Lumen said.

She rounded on Ven.

"Don't you ever be rude like that to anyone, you hear me?"

Ven nodded.

"Got it" he said.

"Now let's go help Tinker bell find that star"

Lumen nodded.

"Poor thing" she said.

"I don't want her getting hurt by the Unversed"

They quickly went back into the jungle and hoped that they caught up to their little fairy friend.

/

Tinker bell was pouting on a leaf when they found her.

Lumen went up to her and gave her a gentle smile.

"Hey, Tinker bell" she said.

"We came with you to help you find that shooting star"

Tinker bell looked up at her.

Lumen just giggled and held her hand out for the tiny fairy.

"It's no fun looking for something on your own" she said.

"We'll come with you"

Tinker bell looked at them for a moment then at Lumen's hand. Slowly, she stepped on her hand and carefully wrapped her tiny arms around Lumen's thumb.

"You'll be safe with me" Lumen said.

Tinker bell smiled and nodded her head.

Ven went up to her and smiled.

"Which way was the shooting star?"

Tinker bell pointed in front of them.

"Alright then, let's go"

They slowly made their way through the jungle so Tinker bell wouldn't get sick from the quick motions. Even though she couldn't talk, the two of them were fond of the fairy's company.

"I don't see why Peter Pan would think finding treasure would be better than finding a shooting star" Ven said.

"Finding a shooting star is rare than finding treasure"

Lumen just shrugged and patted Tinker bell's head with her finger.

"Boys just don't know the difference between treasures" she said.

"True, it's great to find something valuable like gold and jewels, but the treasures that are the greatest are the ones that you keep in your heart. They always stay with you and you don't have to worry about them being taken away"

Tinker bell smiled and nodded, showing that she agreed with her.

She looked at where they were and flew off when she realized they were close by.

"I guess we're almost by the shooting star" Lumen said.

Ven grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"Let's go!"

They quickly followed Tinker bell and closed in on the shooting star.

/

They all arrived at an Indian camp, where the shooting star supposedly was.

"Where did you see it, Tinker bell?" Lumen asked.

The fairy looked around for a second before searching for the star. Tinker bell spotted the star and went after it.

"Hey wait!" Ven cried.

They went to catch up to Tinker bell, but gasped in horror when she was in the hands of a hooked pirate captain.

The pirate laughed menacingly as he held Tinker bell in one hand and the shooting star with his hook.

"A shooting star and a pixie!" he cheered.

"Must be me birthday"

Ven and Lumen glared at the pirate as they summoned their keyblades.

"Let her go!" Lumen cried.

The Pirate just laughed.

"A couple of Peter Pan's brats" he spat.

"Well, tell that cowardly sparrow…if he wants his precious Tinker bell back, he'd best meet me at Mermaid Lagoon!"

He ran off with Tinker bell in tow, leaving the two of them behind.

"Stop!" Ven cried.

He went to chase after them, but a group of Unversed stopped them.

"Oh, now they decided to show up" Lumen said.

Neither of them hesitate to attack as they lunged at the group and started twiddle their numbers down.

Lumen performed her feather blades shot lock attack and hit multiple Unversed at the same time. Ven followed her example and performed his winged blades attack. Lumen smirked at the spell. That was the first spell that she taught Ven when she met him. He always fought in a similar style as she did so she thought it would be a smart move to have him know the same spells as she did.

When the Unversed were gone, they quickly left the camp and chased after the pirate.

/

When they reached back into the jungle, they lost sight of the pirate and Tinker bell.

"We lost them" Ven said sadly.

Lumen squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

"Don't give up just yet" she said.

"This is a small island, so that pirate probably couldn't get too far. And if he did, he's probably heading for his pirate ship, so we can narrow our search down a bit"

Ven looked at her sadly.

"How can you be so positive over something like this?" he asked.

"What if we can't reach Tinker bell in time?"

Lumen smirked and tapped Ven on the nose.

"We'll find her, trust me" she said.

"Do you remember the time when we were playing a game of hide and go seek with Terra and Aqua and we couldn't find you? Even though we were scared out of our minds, we still didn't give up on finding you"

/

_(Flash back)_

"_Ven! Ven where are you?"_

_It had been fifteen minutes since they finished up their game of Hide and Seek. Terra found Aqua and Lumen easily but he couldn't find Ven. They tried searching throughout the whole castle, but he was nowhere in sight. _

"_Ven!" Terra cried._

"_Ven, come out already!" Aqua called out._

_Lumen bit her lip as she ran through the courtyard of the castle. She was starting to get really scared and wondered if Ven was alright. He was still a little shy around them since he was still new to the group, so they wouldn't know if he was hurt or not._

_Terra and Aqua met up with her when the finished look through their section of the courtyard._

"_Any luck?" Lumen asked._

_Terra and Aqua shook their heads._

"_Where could he be?" Aqua asked._

"_We made it clear that we had to stay within the courtyard"_

"_Maybe we should ask the master for help now" Terra said._

_Lumen shook her head._

"_No. Father is really busy right now and I'm sure it would just make things worse" she said._

"_Besides, this is our problem, so we should be the ones to fix it"_

_Aqua and Terra nodded, agreeing with her logic._

"_But where could Ven be?" Aqua repeated._

"_He's not in the gardens or in the training field. I don't know where else he would be"_

_Lumen thought for a moment as well. Where else could Ven be hiding?_

_The light bulb went off in her head when she thought of a place. _

"_The star gazing garden!" she cried._

_The quickly ran towards the said garden with Terra and Aqua hot on her heels._

_The three of them made it to the garden in a matter of seconds and started looking for their lost friend._

_Lumen searched high and low for Ven. _

_When she past a bench, she found none other than Ven sleeping on the bench._

_She smiled with relief when she saw that her friend was safe._

"_I found him!" she cried._

_Aqua and Terra ran up to her and wore similar expressions on their faces._

_Aqua knelt next to Ven and gently woke him up._

"_Ven, wake up"_

_Ven groaned and slowly opened his eyes to see his friends hovering over him._

"_Oh, hey guys" he yawned._

"_Is the game over?"_

_Terra nodded._

"_Yeah, and you're in big trouble with us"_

_Ven cringed but managed to smile at the thought that his friends cared about him so much._

/

Ven blushed at the memory but understood what Lumen was trying to say.

"Even when we felt scared and didn't know what else to do, we never gave up on finding you" Lumen said.

"The bond we shared with you overpowered our fears and pushed us forward to finding you"

She squeezed Ven's shoulder again.

"That's why we'll find Tinker bell no matter what" she said.

"We formed a bond with her and that will help us rescue her from the pirates"

Ven looked up at her and smiled.

"Right"

"Look out below!"

The two of them looked up to see Peter Pan fly down towards them.

Ven quickly gave the magical boy a pleading look.

"Peter, help!" he cried.

"Tinker bell's been pixie-napped!"

Lumen giggled at Ven's description.

Peter Pan shook his head sadly.

"Then I'm too late" he said.

"Hook's gonna pay for this!"

"He said to meet him at Mermaid Lagoon" Lumen explained.

Peter rubbed his chin.

"Gotta be an ambush" he said.

"That old codfish thinks he's clever"

He jumped up and went to fly after Hook.

"Hey, we're coming too!" Ven said.

Peter Pan smiled, glad that he had someone to help him out.

"Well, we have to hurry" he said.

"Think you can keep up?"

"You bet" Lumen said.

Peter nodded and flew off, taking the lead. Ven and Lumen followed after him to save their fairy friend.

/

They reached a cove near the end of the island when they heard loud explosions. The sound of something whistling through the air before exploding upon impact echoed throughout the area.

"What was that?" Lumen asked.

Another explosion occurred, only this time they saw that it was a cannon ball doing it.

"Cannon fire?" Ven cried out in disbelief.

"Where's it coming from?"

Peter Pan looked around and spotted something in the water.

"On the water! Over there!"

Lumen and Ven looked at the water to see a fearsome pirate ship.

The ship fired off another cannon and nearly hit the group had they not jumped out of the way.

A ball of light flew towards them from the explosion. It was none other than Tinker bell and she was out of harm's way from Captain Hook.

"Tink, it's you!" Peter cried.

"And you're all right!"

Tinker bell smiled at them, glad that they came to her rescue.

"How did you escape?" Lumen asked.

Tinker bell started gesturing with her hands, but was interrupted by the cannon fires.

Peter looked at the ship with a serious look on his face.

"Hold on, I'm gonna stop that cannon" he said.

Ven and Lumen looked at each other. If Peter was going to stop the pirates, then someone has to stop Hook.

"We'll go after Hook then" Ven said.

Peter gave them a grateful smile.

"Thanks" he said.

He looked at Tinker bell for a moment.

"Tink, if you would"

Tinker bell nodded and flew over her new friends and sprinkled light dust on them. Lumen and Ven felt a little light when the dust landed on them, but they didn't feel any different.

"What is this?" Lumen asked.

"It's Pixie dust" Peter explained.

Lumen looked at her hands and flexed them a bit. She didn't know what this pixie dust could do, but she hoped that it would help them beat Hook.

"Let's go, Ven" she said.

Ven nodded and followed after her.

It was time to kick so pirate butt!

/

Captain Hook tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Peter Pan. He was sure that the young scallywag would be here by now to try to save his pixie friend, only to be caught up in a trap.

He was sure that this plan would work this time. Today would be the day that he finally got rid of that blasted Peter Pan.

When he heard footsteps, he grinned darkly, thinking that it was Peter.

"At last, that scurvy brat will never trouble me again!" he cried.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that" Ven said.

Hook yelped and spun around to find that it wasn't Peter Pan, but those silly little brats he ran into at the Indian Camp.

"Swoggle me eyes!" he cried.

Realization dawned on him.

"No! Don't tell me!"

He pulled out a telescope and peered through it to see what was happening on his ship.

Much to his horror, he found Peter Pan had tied his crew to the mast and held them prisoner.

His plan had failed.

"Blast that Peter Pan!" he cried.

He jumped across the small rock platforms to get back to his ship. He wasn't going to let Peter Pan get away that easily.

He skidded to a stop when Ven and Lumen jumped on the rock that he was on and blocked his path.

"You're not getting away that easily, Hook" Lumen said as she aimed her keyblade at him.

Hook growled at her and pointed his sword at her. He went to attack, but stopped when he heard ticking noises. Looking at the water, he screamed in horror when he saw a massive crocodile looking at him with a hungry gaze.

"No! Not again!" he cried.

"S-stay away from me!"

"I don't think so!" Ven cried.

Captain Hook just glared at them and held his sword out.

"Fine, I'll deal with you brats first before I finish off Peter Pan" he said.

"That is _if _you can beat us" Lumen said.

They jumped around the small platform as Hook attacked them. Since he was freaking out over the crocodile, he was fighting in crazy mode.

Lumen parried his attacks with her keyblade and countered them with her own attacks. Ven was quick on his feet and tried driving Hook near the edge of the platform where the crocodile was waiting. Hook would scream and push Ven back before throwing explosives at them. Every time he threw explosives at them, they would back off, fearing of getting caught by one of them.

Ven got a little careless and tried attacking Hook, never realizing that the pirate had an explosive behind his back.

Lumen saw it and quickly reacted when she saw him throw it at Ven.

"Ven!" she cried.

She pushed him out of the way, but was thrown into the water from the force of the explosion.

"Lumen!" Ven cried.

Lumen quickly tried swimming back to the platform to help Ven out.

"I'm fine" she said.

"Finish off Hook"

Ven quickly went back to fighting Hook while she tried to find a way up on the platform. The sound of ticking caught her attention and she turned to see the crocodile swimming towards her with its mouth wide open.

Lumen narrowed her eyes when she saw that it was planning on making her lunch.

"Oh no you don't" she said.

She summoned up chains of light and had them wrapped around the crocodiles mouth just as it was about to bite her head off.

"I'm not your lunch, pal" she said.

She summoned up another chain of light and had it wrap around Hook's ankle.

"But he is"

She tugged on it tightly and caused Hook to land in the water. The pirate captain quickly swam to the surface and found the crocodile just inches away from him.

"Uh oh"

Lumen smirked darkly and had the chains vanish from the crocodile's mouth.

Captain Hook screamed and swam as fast as he could back to his ship with the crocodile hot on his trail.

Lumen laughed at the sight.

"Serves you right!" she called out.

Ven laughed and went near the edge to help Lumen up.

"That was a great idea" he said.

Lumen accepted his hand and got out of the water and dried herself off.

"What can I say?" she asked.

"It's a gift"

Ven laughed at that.

"Come on, let's go tell Peter that we finished here"

Lumen nodded and followed Ven back to the main land where their friend was surely waiting for them.

/

"Ahoy! Look what we brought!"

Ven and Lumen saw the two lost boys bringing a giant treasure chest up on the main land.

"It's a pirate's treasure chest!" the fox boy cried.

Ven's eyes lit up at the sight of the chest.

"Treasure!" he cheered.

Peter went up to the chest and looked at them.

"Yup! The same chest I was talking about" he said.

"We snatched it right from Hook's hiding place"

He opened the chest, hoping to find gold and jewels, but instead, he got an empty chest.

"Huh? How come it's empty?" Peter asked.

The bear boy looked at the ground sadly.

"Uh, sorry" he said.

"But…we lost all the treasure"

Lumen looked at them sadly. They really were looking forward to this.

"That's too bad" she said.

Peter crossed his arms in thought.

"Aw, who needs it?" he said.

"It was probably just full of dumb old jewels or doubloons or something anyways"

Lumen smiled a little. At least Peter was a good sport when it came to this.

The fox boy looked up at them hopefully.

"We could just put what we treasure in there instead" he said.

Peter smiled at that idea.

"Yeah! That's perfect!" he said.

"Instead of filling it up with jewels and gold and stuff, we'll put in what's truly special to us. The real riches!"

They gathered all of the things that they treasured the most and placed in inside the treasure chest.

"That's a mighty fine looking treasure you guys have here" Lumen said.

Ven nodded.

Peter looked at them.

"What are you putting in, you guys?" he asked.

Both looked surprised that he would allow them to join, but they were touched.

Ven thought for a moment then pulled out his practice keyblade that Terra gave him. Lumen smiled at that. Ven really treasured that keyblade because Terra gave it to him as a promise that they would all become keyblade masters.

"What are you putting in, Lumen?" Ven asked.

Lumen thought for a moment. She really didn't have anything on her that she could put into the chest. She couldn't put her engagement ring in the chest because it would hurt Terra's feelings and she couldn't put her lucky charm in there either otherwise Aqua would bite her head off.

She scratched her head in thought, causing her ribbon to fall into her face. She smiled when she thought of something.

"I got it!"

She pulled the ribbon out of her hair and tied it around Ven's practice keyblade.

"Terra gave me this ribbon when we were kids" she said.

"It was the first thing he ever gave me"

/

_(Flashback-7 years ago)_

_Lumen sat on her favorite bench in the courtyard after she had breakfast with her father. She was happy that she got to spend time with Eraqus since he was so busy lately with his duties as a keyblade master. _

_It was rather lonely since it was just her and her father now. With her mother gone, life just wasn't the same._

_She sighed as she looked at the clouds. She really missed her mother. She was gone and she had nothing that would remind her of her beloved mother._

_A flower suddenly appeared within her sight as someone dangled a white flower over her head. _

_Tilting her head back, she saw Terra leaning over the bench dangling the flower with a white ribbon tied to it over her._

"_Hey Lumen" he smiled._

"_I got you a flower"_

_He sat on the bench next to her and gave her the flower. It was a Departure Lily that grew around the castle. _

_He smiled and handed her the flower._

"_Here!" _

_Lumen took the flower and gently touched one of the petals. Departure Lilies were her mother's favorite. She just loved how they would stay so white and pure. She said they always reminded her of light._

_Her ran her finger around the ribbon and couldn't help but think that it was such a pretty ribbon. Sure it may have seemed plain being only white, but she thought it was a pretty color. _

_Terra looked at her for a moment, wondering what was going on through her head._

"_What's wrong, Lumen?" he asked._

_Lumen shook her head and smiled at him._

"_I was just thinking how my mom used to love the color white" she said._

"_She said white was always a pure and pretty color; that it reminded her of what light looks like. She always loved things that were pretty and pure"_

_She smiled sadly._

"_I just wish she was here to see this" she said._

"_She would have loved seeing Departure Lilies"_

_Terra looked at her for a moment then at the ribbon that was tied on the flower. Without warning, he snatched the ribbon from the flower and tugged at a piece of her hair._

"_Stay still for a second"_

_Lumen did as she was told and felt Terra tying the ribbon into her hair. After a few minutes, Terra pulled back and scowled at his work._

"_Aw man, I can't make bows to save my own life" he said._

_Lumen touched the ribbon to feel that Terra tied a knot into the ribbon to keep it into her hair, but had the loose strands just hang down. _

_Terra blushed in embarrassment._

"_Sorry" he said._

_Lumen giggled and shook her head._

"_That's ok" she said._

"_I think you did a good job"_

_Terra smiled and tugged at the ribbon._

"_Now you're one of the things that your mother loves" he said._

"_You're pretty and pure"_

_Lumen blushed at being called pretty._

_That was the first time Terra had ever called her something nice and it would continue on for years to come._

/

"You sure you guys want to part with those?" Peter Pan asked.

They both nodded at him and placed their treasured items into the chest.

"It's ok" Ven said.

"Even if we don't have our treasures with us, we still have Terra and Aqua" Lumen said.

"Because the memories we share with them are far more valuable than anything else"

Peter smiled at them.

"Well, next time that you visit, we'll have an even bigger chest waiting" he said.

"Enough for all of those treasures and lots more"

Ven and Lumen smiled brightly at that.

"We can't wait!" Ven said.

Lumen nodded.

Little did they know, that dream would never come true.

/

**A/N: The end is near! Only a few more chapters left before we finish this tragic story. **

**But on the up side, Lumen get's to meet two very special boys who will play a big role in Hikari's life and in saving the worlds.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	18. Destiny Island

Chapter 18: Destiny Island

**A/N: Hey everyone! Since I just started Spring Break that means I can hopefully post more chapters and finish this story!**

**Now we get to see one of the chapters you've all be waiting for: we see Sora and Riku! I have to say, I've really missed these two. It's not the same without them.**

**How will Lumen react when she sees our two favorite heroes? You'll just have to read to find out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

After their little adventures in Neverland, Ven swore that he would return home right away. Lumen didn't know if she should believe him or not, but she was going to hope that he would keep his promise.

"_If I find out that he was off looking for different worlds, I'm going to beat him unconscious and drag him home myself" _she thought.

She really didn't like to be violent when it came to her friends, but sometimes desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I just hope Ven finally listened to me for once" she said to herself.

She drove her keyblade glider through the lanes in between and tried looking for another world that needed to be saved.

So far she didn't run into anything. No worlds, no Unversed, nothing. She was starting to think that maybe she was lost or that she traveled too far out in the lanes.

"Maybe I should turn back" she said to herself.

She went to turn around, but stopped when she saw a bright light up ahead. She didn't notice it before, but something told her that she should go towards it.

"What's that light?"

She guided her glider towards the light and let it bathe her as she went through it.

Maybe she wasn't lost after all.

/

She sound of the waves and the smell of the sea filled her senses. Lumen looked around at the tiny island that she landed on and couldn't help but feel amazed at the sight. She had seen oceans before, but none of them had such a beautiful sunset as this world did. She was so amazed by how the sun reflected across the water that she felt like she could look at it for hours.

"This place is amazing" she breathed.

She sat by the beach and let her hand run across the sand. Her fingers skimmed over a sea shell and she picked it up to look at it. She was intrigued that the shape almost looked like part of Aqua's good luck charm. Picking up the charm, she held the two items together and compared them.

"It's the same shape" she said.

"But then again, Aqua said that they were supposed to be made out of sea shells. Maybe this is where she got the idea from"

She placed the sea shell down and leaned on her hands. She closed her eyes and felt the breeze flow through her hair.

"This world is perfect" she said.

"I don't see a single flaw about it"

Just then, a huge wave came crashing down and got her soaked.

She spit out a mouthful of sea water and looked at the ocean dully.

"Except…maybe for that" she corrected dully.

The sound of laughter caught her attention and caused her to look around. Off by the pier were two little boys who appeared to be at least four to five years old. One boy had spiky brown hair and blue eyes while the other have silver hair and aquamarine eyes.

Both eyes were filled with joy as they laughed at Lumen. It seemed that they saw her getting soaked by that wave and found it to be funny.

Lumen smirked and stood up to dry herself off.

"Oh, you think that was funny, huh?" she asked.

The boys nodded.

"Yeah, that was hilarious" the brown haired one said.

"Everyone knows to stay away when a wave comes in" the silver haired one added.

Lumen wrung her hair out and approached them.

"Well, I guess I'm not everyone" she said.

"I'm Lumen"

The boys smiled.

"I'm Riku"

"And I'm Sora"

Lumen smiled as she looked at them. She couldn't help but feel like she was looking at Terra and Ven. They didn't look like them, but they carried the same aura. It was as if they were their other halves or something.

"So what are a couple young boys doing on a big island all by themselves?" she asked.

Sora smiled and placed his hands behind his head; something Ven would do every now and then.

"We're just here to play games" he said.

"We're playing a game of knights and we're fighting over who should play the princess"

Riku rolled his eyes.

"I played it last time so it's your turn" he said.

Sora made a face at him.

"No way! I don't want to play a girly part! I want to fight!"

"Well, if I have to suffer, so do you" Riku replied.

Lumen watched as they bickered over who should play the princess. Even the bickering reminded her of Terra and Ven. They would always fight over the silliest things that it would make her laugh.

She giggled a little and smiled at them.

"Hey, I'm a girl" she said.

"Would you like me to play the princess? That way you can both be knights"

Sora smiled at that.

"Yeah!" he cried.

Lumen stood up and looked at her little knights.

"Alright my valiant knights, what do you want to play first?"

Riku smiled and pointed towards the little island that was connected to the main one.

"You have to go on that island and pretend that you're locked in your castle" he said.

"An evil sorcerer locked you up in that castle and we have to rescue you"

Lumen smiled and nodded.

"Alright then. You better come save me"

She headed for the small island as Sora and Riku prepared for their game. It had been a long time since she played games like this. She remembered she would use to do this all the time with her mother and sometimes with her father whenever Eraqus wasn't busy.

"_I guess it's not so bad to play games when you're an adult" _she thought.

She made it to the mini island and went into her 'castle'. She looked around and smiled as she went into character.

"Oh, help me! Help me! An evil sorcerer has trapped me in my castle" she cried.

"Who will save me?"

Sora and Riku ran across the bridge with their fake swords drawn.

"Have no fear, princess!" Sora cried.

"We'll rescue you!"

Lumen smiled.

"Oh hurray! My knights have come to save me"

Riku acted like he was fighting off invisible enemies and grabbed her hand.

"This way princess" he said.

"I'll take you to safety"

Lumen let him pull her along as Riku fought off the invisible enemies.

"You're no match for me!" he cried.

Sora followed the same example and did a battle cry as he finished off an invisible enemy.

"Oh no! it's the evil sorcerer!" Riku cried.

Sora stood in front of Riku and held up his wooden sword.

"I'll take care of him!" he said.

"You make sure the princess is safe!"

Lumen giggled.

"Please be safe, my noble knight" she said.

Sora fought against the evil sorcerer as Riku took her away from the castle.

"You're safe now, princess" he said.

He brought her to the main island and stopped at the docks. Sora came running after them, laughing as he did so.

"Oh man! That was fun!" he said.

Riku laughed as well.

"Yeah, you make a pretty good princess" he said.

Lumen giggled and bowed to them.

"Thank you" she said.

"But I must say that you two played brave knights. I'm sure if there really was an evil sorcerer, you wouldn't have any trouble fighting him"

Sora flexed his muscles in a joking manner.

"Yeah! No one can beat me with muscles like these!"

Riku rolled his eyes.

"As if"

Lumen smiled and watched the two. Just seeing them so full of life and energy reminded her of how she was when she was their age. She wanted to be strong so she could help others, she wanted to fight so she could defend herself in her own battles. She wanted to be just like the boys.

Yep, these two were just like her…and yet they reminded her of someone else.

"_Hikari"_

She hadn't thought about her successor in a while, but seeing Sora and Riku pretending to be knights reminded her of the little girl. She wanted to be strong to protect the ones she loved and she wasn't afraid to get hurt in the process.

How ironic that all three of them were the similar yet they never knew each other.

"_It would be funny if these two met Hikari, but I doubt that will be possible since they're from different worlds" _she thought.

"_Oh well, wistful thinking"_

Sora jumped a little as he remembered something.

"Oh yea, I almost forgot" he said.

"I picked up your 'treasure' from you castle"

Lumen raised an eyebrow. She didn't remember having 'treasure' with her.

"My treasure?" she asked.

Sora nodded.

"Yeah"

He pulled out a star shaped fruit and handed it to her.

"A Paopu fruit"

Lumen gasped and covered her mouth when she saw the fruit. This was the fruit that Aqua was talking about when she made the lucky charms for all of them.

"_Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star shaped fruit and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can every drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other"_

Lumen reached for the Paopu fruit with shaky hands and held it.

"This fruit…" she breathed.

Sora smiled.

"I knew you would be happy to have your treasure back, princess" he said.

"We would never let anything that was precious to you be taken away" Riku said.

Lumen looked at them for a moment. They may have not realized it, but they just gave her the most treasured gift ever. This was the fruit that Aqua was talking about and thanks to them, she could give it to her best friend.

"You guys are something else" she said.

She smiled as she thought of Hikari. Even though she had a strong heart, she needed to be protected.

"Hey, I have a question for you guys" she said.

"If you had a real princess that needed to be saved, what would you do?"

Riku smiled proudly.

"I'd protect her!" he said.

"I'd hold onto her tight and protect her with all my heart!"

Sora smiled and placed his hands behind his head.

"Me too! I'd make sure nothing ever happened to her!"

Lumen smiled at them.

"That's good to hear" she said.

"You better keep your word on that promise. You'll never know what will happen in the future"

Sora and Riku nodded.

"It's a promise" they said.

"Sora! Riku!"

The boys looked at the horizon and groaned.

"Sorry, but we have to go" Sora said.

"Our parents are calling us" Riku finished.

Lumen nodded in understanding.

"You get home safely" she ordered.

Riku smiled.

"We will" he said.

"Thanks for playing with us!" Sora cheered.

Lumen giggled.

"It was my pleasure"

She waved to them as they headed back home. She looked at the Paopu fruit that was still in her hands and held it close to her heart.

"Protect the ones you love with all your heart" she said quietly.

"Because you'll never know when they'll be taken from you"

Those words would reflect the actions that were about to come.

/

**A/N: Yay! We saw Sora and Riku! I thought their little game was funny because it reflects to when they have to fight Ansem/Xemnas in the future. And I just loved Riku's response to protecting his future princess…because that's what he'll do!**

**Now that we have the fluffy chapter out of the way, it's time for the dramatic chapters. Everything goes downhill now for Lumen and there's no way to get back up.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	19. A Father's Tragic Fate

Chapter 19: A Father's Tragic Fate

**A/N: Hey everyone! We're reaching the end of this tragic story. I know; sad, isn't it? As the title implies I'm sure you know what's going to happen to poor Master Eraqus. Poor Lumen, she's going to suffer so greatly. It makes me feel bad that I have to do this to her, but hey, that's what makes a good story!**

**And Kingdom Hearts 3D is out! Oh, I'm counting the months until it comes here! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen tucked the Paopu fruit securely within her pocket before she left the islands. She had a lot of fun playing with Sora and Riku, but she had to continue with her travels.

"Wait until Aqua sees this" she said to herself.

"She's going to flip! She's been wanting to find this fruit for so long. I'm such a good friend"

She carefully speed through the lanes in between as she tried searching for a new world to explore.

After half an hour of searching, she didn't come across anything, not even Unversed for that matter.

"_I wonder what's going on?"_ she thought.

"_It's never this peaceful" _

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something moving rather fast.

"Huh?"

She turned her head to get a better look, fearing that it might be an Unversed, but instead she saw Ven. The young boy saw gliding on his keyblade glider at an alarming rate that Lumen feared that he would fall off.

Fearing that he might be in trouble, she steered her glider towards him to rescue him. She thought he would be home by now, but it seemed not.

"Ven!" she cried.

Ven looked as she glided next to him then looked back in front of him.

"Hey Lumen" he said shortly.

Lumen was a little taken aback by the tone Ven was giving her. Why was he acting like this?

"Ven, what's going on? Why aren't you home?"

She could have sworn that she saw Ven's hand curled into a fist for a second.

"That's where I'm heading" he snapped.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to hurry back"

Now Lumen was really confused. Before, he didn't want to head back and had to have his arm bent backwards in order to cave in. Now he suddenly wanted to?

"What's going on, Ven?" she asked.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Did something happen?"

Ven growled and rounded off on her.

"Will you just shut up?"

Now that blew Lumen away. Never, in the history since they've been friends did Ven snap at her like that. He never had the need to and there was no need for it now.

Lumen growled in anger and snaked her hand out to latch onto Ven's arm.

"VENTUS! YOU STOP THAT GLIDER RIGHT NOW!" she screamed.

Ven jumped a little at the tone Lumen used but stopped his bike. When the two of them finally stopped, Lumen rounded on him. Ven couldn't see her face because of her helmet, but he knew that she was glaring daggers at him.

Lumen got right to the point and chewed Ven out big time.

"First of all, where do you get the nerve to suddenly talk to me like that?" she asked.

"Second off, what has you so worked up that you're speeding your way towards home? What happened?"

Ven looked at his feet before looking away.

"I learned something about myself" he mumbled.

"I'm not who I thought I was"

Lumen tilted her head. Now Ven really lost her. What did he mean he wasn't who he thought he was?

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Ven shook his head sadly.

"I ran into that masked boy" he said.

Lumen's blood ran cold. She remembered the masked boy.

"_Vanitas" _

She hadn't seen him since Taiyouko rescued her on Radiant Garden. She didn't know what he was up to, and she didn't want to find out.

"He told me about my past…about the one I don't remember" Ven said sadly.

"He said your father knows all about it and I want to ask him why he's been keeping it from me. Why he's been keeping me his prisoner"

That really surprised Lumen. Her father knew stuff about Ven and kept it a secret?

"_What does he mean by prisoner?" _she thought.

"_Surely father would never do that to anyone"_

Ven clenched his fist tightly in frustration.

"I need to know what's going on" he said.

"I need to know who's telling the truth"

Lumen looked at him sadly. He looked so lost and afraid right now that it tore her up. He used to look the same way when he first came to the Land of Departure. He had no idea who he was or where he came from. If it wasn't for Terra, Aqua and herself, then he would still be lost.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Why don't we find out together?" she asked.

"I'm sure with my help, my father will say something"

Ven looked up at her.

"You'd do that?"

Lumen nodded.

"Of course, silly" she said.

"We're friends, right?"

Ven slowly nodded.

"Yeah, we are" he said.

"Thanks, Lumen. Sorry for snapping at you like that; I didn't mean it"

Lumen shook her head.

"It's ok. Now let's go see what my father knows. It can't be that bad, right?"

Ven shrugged.

"Only one way to find out"

They started their gliders up again and headed for the one world that they knew best: Home.

/

Everything looked the same as it was when Lumen left. It was as if time stood still. Everything looked the same from the gardens to the castle itself. Everything was so peaceful that she could hardly feel the tension that was stirring.

"It's hard to believe we've been gone for a couple of weeks" she said.

"It feels like we've only been gone for hours here"

Ven nodded dully as they walked up the castle steps.

"Yeah…right" he said.

Lumen looked at him and stopped in front of him.

"Hey, relax" she said.

"We're only going to speak to my father. You look like you're about to face an Unversed or something"

Ven looked at the ground sadly.

"What if the Master doesn't want to listen to what I have to say?" he asked.

"What if he won't tell me anything?"

Lumen squeezed his shoulders and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It won't be bad, I promise" she said.

"And I'll be here to help you out"

Ven smiled weakly at her.

"Thanks"

Lumen just smiled and gave him a mock salute.

"Anytime"

They continue up the rest of the steps before they reached the center garden of the castle.

They didn't know how it was possible, or if he sense their arrival, but Master Eraqus came rushing down the castle steps and approached them.

The Keyblade master was surprise to find not only Ven returned but his daughter as well.

"Ven? Lumen?"

Lumen smiled and ran up to her father.

"Father!"

She embraced her father tightly and smiled when he hugged back.

"I missed you so much! You won't believe what I saw in the outside world"

Eraqus smiled, but it seemed forced. He knew something was up, but he didn't what it could be.

He looked at Ven when he let go of his daughter and gave him a quizzical look.

"Ventus, did Lumen bring you home?" he asked.

"I thought Aqua would-"

He shook the thought aside and gripped Ven's shoulders.

"Well, what matters is that you're home" he said.

"You don't belong in the outside world yet…you need to stay here where you can learn-"

"In your prison?" Ven snapped.

He glared up at his master and stepped away from his embrace.

"That's your excuse…for keeping me here, isn't it?" he said.

Lumen looked between Ven and her father nervously.

"Ven?"

Eraqus gave Ven a serious look.

"What did you hear?" he asked.

Ven just glared daggers.

"That I'm supposed to be some weapon…some kind of …'X-blade'!"

The color drained from Eraqus's face when he heard that. Lumen looked between her father and Ven in confusion.

What in the world was Ven talking about? What was an 'X-blade'?

"Ven, what are you talking about?" she asked.

"How could you be a weapon? You're just a little boy. And where did you come up with a name like the 'X-blade'? "

Ven turned his glare at Lumen.

"It's true! Just ask your father!" he cried.

Lumen looked at her father to see him torn up.

"Is this all true, father?" she asked.

"Or is Ven just making stuff up?"

Eraqus unconsciously touched the scars on his face.

"I knew it" he said quietly.

"Xehanort-he couldn't let go"

Lumen jumped a little.

Xehanort? As in Master Xehanort? What did the old, creepy keyblade master have to do with any of this?

"Father?"

Eraqus shook his head clear of the memories of the past.

"I failed" he muttered.

"I had the chance to stop him and couldn't do it. But I will not fail again"

He looked at Ven with such a serious look in his eyes that it made Lumen's skin crawl with fear. Why was her father suddenly looking like he wanted to hurt Ven?

"F-father?"

Eraqus didn't hear her as he summoned his keyblade. Ven panicked when he saw his master go into a fighting stance.

"Master! What are you…"

Eraqus looked torn over what he was going to do. He didn't want to do this, but it had to be done.

"The X-blade has no place in this or any world" he said.

"Xehanort has made his purpose clear…and I am left with no choice. Forgive me…but you must not exist no more"

He lunged at Ven, planning to end his life, only to be stopped by his daughter. Lumen was shaking with fear as she blocked her father's keyblade with her own. Never in her life had she ever fought with him like this; even when they were training.

This time it was serious. This time someone would get hurt.

Eraqus looks shocked that his own daughter would defend Ven, but he grew serious.

"Lumen, move aside" he ordered.

Lumen whimpered and shook her head frantically.

"No!" she cried.

"I won't move! I won't let you hurt Ven!"

Eraqus narrowed his eyes with anger.

"Do you not realize that the boy you're protecting is a grave threat to the worlds?" he question.

Lumen shook her head again as she her father's keyblade away from Ven. She couldn't let him hurt her friend.

"No, I don't" she said.

"But I do know that my friend is in danger and I swore that I would protect him no matter what"

Eraqus jumped back a little and aimed his keyblade at Ven. Lumen stood in front of the boy protectively and held her keyblade out in front of her as well.

"What's wrong with you father?" she asked.

"Why are you acting this way?"

Eraqus closed his eyes, knowing that he had kept too many things a secret from his beloved daughter. He would never pass on his burdens to her, but it seemed that he should have.

"Ven is a weapon that Xehanort plans to use" he said.

"If he lives, then worlds will be at stake. He must not exist"

Lumen shook her head frantically. Her father was talking nonsense. He had to.

"No! He's just a young boy and your student. Ven would never harm anyone!"

Eraqus sighed sadly.

"It seems it was foolish of me to keep so many things a secret from you" he said.

"But I never intended for you to shoulder my past burdens"

A tear ran down the side of his face. All of his past sins were piling up to this point. He had done so many wrong things in the past and now his daughter had to suffer.

"If you won't move away from Ven, then I have no other choice but to make you"

He charged at his daughter, hoping she would jump out of the way and leave Ven open. Sadly, she didn't and she fought back.

Lumen was screaming inside. She was fighting her father; the man who did everything for her and raised her on his own. The man who sheltered the outside world from her so she wouldn't have to learn the fears that the brought. The father who she loved unconditionally and never wanted anything to happen to him.

Ven watched with horror as Lumen fought with his master. He never wanted this to happen at all.

"Ven, run!" Lumen cried.

He would if he could, but his feet were planted firmly to the ground.

Lumen was no match for her father, that much she knew. But she couldn't just stand by and let him hurt Ven.

Eraqus fired off very powerful spells that would have lead to devastating results had she not blocked them. She never thought that she would be grateful for being an expert in defensive magic for something like this.

The two of them fought each other, but refusing to back down. Both were fighting for Ven, but with different purposes.

Lumen grew desperate and cast her chains of light spell at her father. The very spell that her father refused her to use.

Eraqus batted the chains away and looked at his daughter with horror.

"That spell" he choked.

"I told you to never use that spell!"

Lumen had a tears running down her face. She never wanted to use that spell on her own father, but he left her with no choice.

"How can I not use it when you're threatening to hurt Ven?" she choked.

"What's the point of having special powers if I can't even use them?"

Eraqus shook his head sadly. All of his fears were unraveling in this very moment.

"You can't use those powers" he said.

"If you do…then _he'll _come after you"

Lumen gulped slightly. She didn't like the sound of that.

"He?" she choked out.

Eraqus wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at his daughter sadly.

"Keeping you awake is causing nothing but trouble" he said.

He aimed his keyblade at his daughter; regretting it with each second.

"You leave me no choice but to put you to sleep"

Chains came out of his keyblade and flew towards her.

Lumen closed her eyes in fear; knowing that she wouldn't be able to run away from them.

However, running wouldn't be needed.

"Lumen!"

The sound of someone knocking the chains away caused her to open her eyes and gasp in horror.

There, standing in front of her protectively was none other than her fiancé, Terra.

"Terra" she choked.

Eraqus looked surprised as well. He never expected Terra to show up.

"What?"

Terra was horrified and angry at the same time. His master was about to harm his fiancée right in front of him, not caring that it was his daughter.

"Master! Have you gone mad?" he cried.

Eraqus gave him a serious look.

"Terra! I command you-step aside!"

Terra shook his head and stood closer to Ven and Lumen.

"No!" cried.

Eraqus growled.

"You will not heed your Master?"

Terra shook his head again.

"I won't!"

Eraqus looked torn.

"Why do all of my attempts to reach you fail?" he asked.

"If you do not have it in your heart to obey…then you will share Ventus and Lumen's fate"

He charged at his pupil and fought with him.

Ven and Lumen watched in horror as the two of them fought. Lumen was torn to pieces as she watched her father and her fiancée fight each other. They looked like they wanted to hurt each other seriously and that's what scared her. She didn't the men that she loved most to get hurt.

Ven didn't want that either (but for obvious reasons). He was the reason this all started and he had to be the one to end it.

"Enough, Terra!" he cried.

"He's right"

"Quiet!" Terra snapped.

Lumen silently cried as the fight went on. She couldn't bear to see another second of this.

"Father! Terra! Please stop!" she sobbed.

"Don't do this!"

When they didn't listen to her, she ran in the middle of them.

"Stop!" she cried.

Terra froze when his keyblade almost hit Lumen. His heart ached when he saw his fiancé crying for him to stop. He lowered his keyblade slightly and reached out for her.

"Lumen"

Eraqus couldn't stop his attack in time and blasted Lumen with one of his spells.

Lumen went flying and crashed into Ven, causing him to fall.

"Lumen!" Terra cried.

He ran over to her and helped her up while picking Ven up.

Eraqus was horror stricken at what he had done. He had let his anger get in the way and harmed his daughter as a result.

"Lumen" he breathed.

Lumen winched in pain as she leaned against Terra. She knew her father never meant to hurt her, but it still broke her heart that he even allowed it to happen. She looked at him sadly from where she stood.

"Father" she said.

Terra was livid at this point. He never thought his master would stoop so low as to attack his daughter. All the darkness that he had pent up within him came pouring out as he thought that his master harmed his fiancé.

This was the final straw.

"You may be my master" he said.

"But I will not let you harm my friend or my fiancée!"

Eraqus looked like he had been slapped when he heard that.

"Fiancée?" he repeated.

He finally noticed the engagement ring on Lumen's finger. His daughter was engaged to his student? And he never knew of this?

"You…you kept this a secret from me this whole time?" he cried.

Lumen looked away shamefully. She never wanted to keep her relationship with Terra a secret, but she didn't want her father to tear them apart.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

Terra aimed his keyblade behind him and opened up two portals. He pushed Ven and Lumen into them so they wouldn't have to get hurt from the fight.

Lumen watched in horror as the portal started to close on her.

"Terra, no!" she cried.

She tried to get out, but Terra blocked her with his keyblade, signaling for her not to move.

Lumen looked at her father and saw that he was looking at her as well.

She reached out for him even though she knew she would never reach him.

"Father!" she cried.

Eraqus reached out for her but the portal suddenly closed.

Lumen felt her body being pushed out of the portal when it opened up again and falling to the ground when she was out.

She slowly sat up and tried to clear her head.

"Father…Terra" she breathed.

"Well now, this is an unexpected surprise"

Lumen turned towards the noise and gasped at who she saw.

"Master Yen Sid"

/

**A/N: Dun, dun, dun! Poor Lumen that was not what she wanted to come home to. Looks like the cat's out of bag! Eraqus knows about their relationship and it looks like he wants to kill Terra for stealing his daughter away. While that would be funny in a different way, it's not for here. And we can all guess why.**

**And sadly, this would be the last time that Lumen every saw her beloved father.**

**It seems that Lumen has finally met Master Yen Sid. What will the former Keyblade Master have to say to our young hero?**

**Please review and tell me what you think! **

**Ja ne!**


	20. Secrets come out

Chapter 20: Secrets Come Out

**A/N: We're almost at the end! Just four or five more chapters left. Oh, I'm really nervous how this is going to end. I hope it'll be worth everyone's wait though. **

**Now we get to find out a little more about what's going on with everyone. We get to learn more about Lumen's past and what Xehanort wants from her. We even get to hear about Lumen's mother and how she really died. It should be interesting!**

**I'm sorry I haven't been updating for a while. I had a nasty research paper that I had to take care of.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Lumen couldn't believe that she was standing before Master Yen Sid. Her father told her so many stories about him and how he was a legendary keyblade master. A master that was so powerful that he made Eraqus look weak.

Yen Sid studied Lumen as she stood in the center of the room.

"I never expected a visit from the daughter of my old friend" he said.

Lumen jumped a little and quickly bowed. Despite the situation that she was in, she knew that she had to be respectful of her elders.

Plus, Master Yen Sid was a legend.

"I-it's an honor to meet you Master Yen Sid" she said.

"I've heard so much about you"

Yen Sid waved his hand for Lumen to stop bowing.

"I'm sure you have" he said.

"Eraqus was always modest about his friends. I'm sure he's passed on that trait to you"

Lumen bit her lip. She really didn't know what to do right now. Part of her wanted to stay and talk with the legendary keyblade master, but the other half of her was telling her that she needed to leave.

Terra was fighting with her father and she needed to stop it before it was too late.

She bowed again.

"I don't mean to sound rude, Master" she said.

"But I have to leave. My father and fiancé are fighting each other and I need to stop them"

Yen Sid closed his eyes gravely; already knowing what was happening.

"I'm afraid that is not a wise choice, Lumen" he said.

"By the time that you reach there, it may probably be too late"

Lumen gave him a hard stare. Just because he was legendary and powerful didn't mean he had to speak negatively.

"But there may still be a chance" Lumen said.

"If I continue to stand here, then it'll just get worse. I have to stop Terra and my father no matter what"

She spun on her heel and headed for the door, only to have it magically shut in front of her. She turned around to see Yen Sid's arm stretched, showing that he was the one who shut the door.

"The fact that you were brought here shows that danger is close" he said gravely.

Lumen swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

"Please open the door" she asked nervously.

Yen Sid shook his head.

"I can't let you go back to where Terra and Eraqus are" he said.

"I sense something terrible approaching and you need to be away from it"

"Then that gives me a bigger reason to go!" Lumen insisted.

"I can't let my father and fiancé get hurt! I don't want them fighting!"

"I understand why you're upset" Yen Sid said.

"But the fact is, I can't let you go near the danger that is surely approaching"

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"Danger? What danger?" she asked.

Yen Sid folded his hands under his chin. Years of seeing hard ship and struggles were evident on his features as he sighed deeply.

"It is the danger that you have been fighting this whole time" he said.

"The beings that have been plaguing the worlds as of late"

Lumen took a step back.

"The Unversed?" she asked.

"What do the Unversed have to do with my father and Terra?"

Yen Sid sighed.

"It seems that your father kept many things hidden from you" he muttered.

"Eraqus you fool"

Lumen gulped and nervously approached Yen Sid's desk.

"Why would my father keep things hidden from me?" she asked.

"What's going on?"

Yen Sid ran a hand across his beard.

"It would seem that Eraqus has left the explanations to me" he said.

"How like him"

He stood up from his seat and placed his hands behind his back.

"Let's talk this over with some tea" he said.

"This will be a long talk"

Lumen raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Is having tea really appropriate for right now?" she asked.

Yen Sid gave her a glare that made her skin crawl. She crossed the line now.

"On second thought, tea sounds wonderful"

Yen Sid nodded at the response.

"That's what I thought you might say"

He walked towards the conjoining room with Lumen following behind.

This trip was getting stranger by the second.

/

The sound of arguing caught her attention as she entered the next room. She didn't realize that Yen Sid had other people visiting, but she was surprised when she saw that they weren't people at all.

Instead, she saw a dog wearing knight like armor and a duck wearing robes. Both of them seemed to be arguing about something, or rather, the duck was arguing.

"Why are you so mad, Donald?" the dog asked.

The duck made an angry sound as he held up an empty cup.

"You drank my tea!" he cried.

The dog looked upset by the outburst.

"But you weren't drinking it, so I thought you didn't want it" he said.

Donald just squawked some more at his friend.

Yen Sid clapped his hands to silence them.

"That will be enough" he said.

"I allowed you two to stay here while your king went off to train, but I will not tolerate rude behavior"

He gestured to Lumen who stood next to him.

"Especially in the presence of a lady"

Lumen shyly looked away from everyone. She didn't like the fact that she was forced to have tea with other people when she should be stopping her father and Terra.

The dog scratched his head as he looked at Lumen.

"A'huck, who is she?" he asked.

Yen Sid placed a hand on Lumen's shoulder, as if preventing her from running away.

"This is the daughter of one of my old friends" he said.

"Treat her nicely"

Lumen looked at them and waved nervously.

"I'm Lumen" she said.

The dog smiled and tipped off his helmet in greeting.

"I'm Goofy and this is Donald" he said.

Donald just gave Lumen an annoyed look. It seemed he was still mad that Goofy drank his tea.

Yen Sid ushered Lumen over to the table and made her sit in one of the empty seats. With a wave of his hand, he had a cup magically appear before her.

"Now then, where should I begin?" he asked.

Lumen held the cup in her hands and dully looked at the brown liquid.

"Maybe you should explain why you won't let me return to my father and Terra?" she stated.

Yen Sid rubbed his chin.

"Very well" he said.

"But in order to explain that, I will have to tell you a tale that takes place long before you were born"

Goofy handed over a piece of cake to Lumen.

"This might be long so you'll probably want something to eat" he said.

Lumen smiled gently as she accepted the cake.

"Thank you" she said.

"You're sweet"

Goofy laughed.

"Nah, I'm Goofy" he joked.

Lumen laughed a little. She didn't like being forced to stay here, but at least the company was nice.

Yen Sid cleared his throat to gain Lumen's attention.

"Now then…my tale begins way back when there were four young souls who wished to become keyblade masters" he said.

"Their names were Eraqus, Yen Sid, Xehanort…and Serenity"

Lumen felt her skin crawl when she heard her mother's name. Why was he bringing her mother up?

"Back then, the worlds were all at piece and the threat of darkness plaguing everything was something we heard in a fairytale" Yen Sid said.

"We all hoped that one day we would become keyblade masters that would protect the worlds from danger and make sure nothing happened to their light. Eraqus and I trained with honor and dignity, hoping that with nobility we could continue with the old ways. Your mother, Serenity sought to reach her dream with a gentler approach and believed loved would protect everything within its path. All of us had different methods, but all reached to a similar goal. However…there was one person who was not so agreeable with our ideals as the rest of us were…I'm sure you can guess who"

Lumen swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

"Master Xehanort" she whispered.

Yen Sid nodded gravely.

"Xehanort was a rather reckless man. He always strived to go one step further than all of us, even when we knew that it was too dangerous. He felt that in order to fight off the darkness, he needed to understand it first. He got too close to the darkness and let it embrace within his heart"

Lumen felt sick just hearing that. It just reminded her of how Terra almost allowed the darkness to take control of his heart.

"We all warned him not to act so foolish" Yen Sid said.

"But he would not listen. The darkness invaded his heart and made him more powerful than he could ever imagine, but at a heavy price. The Xehanort we once knew was nothing more than an empty shell to what he once was. He changed drastically when the darkness took control of him. He started talking about how there was darkness in every world and that we should try to search for them. Your father tried to talk him out of such a silly notion, but Xehanort simply ignored him. He continued on with his plans and forgot about the friendship we all shared. His dreams were far more important than the bond that we all shared"

Lumen looked at her tea sadly.

It wasn't that long ago that she made a similar promise with Terra, Aqua and Ven. She could still see the stars in the sky. She could feel the happiness Aqua felt when she gave them her good luck charms.

"An unbreakable connection" she said softly.

Yen Sid nodded.

"Xehanort shattered that connection as well as our hearts" he said.

"Your father tried desperately to get him back, but he failed each time. He eventually formed a rivalry with him and vowed that he would make him pay for his betrayal"

He closed his eyes gravely.

"He thought that he would make Xehanort suffer, but in the end he was the one who would suffer"

Lumen looked at the legendary keyblade master.

"What did he do to my father?" she asked.

She didn't want to know what he did to her father, but her heart was telling her that she needed to know. It was as if it was telling her that her future depended on it.

Yen Sid sighed.

"He did the one thing that would destroy anyone" he said.

"He vanquished his light"

Lumen felt herself shaking. It was as if her body knew something bad was going to come from this story.

"His light?" she repeated.

Yen Sid nodded.

"Yes, the one being who he loved with all his heart. His source of happiness"

Lumen felt her throat closed up and tears forming in her eyes.

No…it couldn't be.

"You mean to tell me…that he…"

Yen Sid nodded gravely.

"Yes" he said.

"Xehanort murdered your mother"

/

**A/N: What? Did I just leave a nasty cliff hanger? I think I did! **

**Xehanort is purely evil now. Lumen always wondered how her mother died and now she found out! Poor Lumen (and poor Eraqus).**

**I'm sorry to leave it off like this, but I didn't want it to drag on for too long. That and it would just get confusing.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	21. Destai

Chapter 21: Destai

**A/N: I'm such a mean author, aren't I? But yeah, Xehanort murdered Lumen's mother. That's pretty evil for someone to do, but then again, Xehanort is a very evil guy. **

**We only have to more worlds before this story comes to a close. I can just feel the tears in my eyes, knowing that the ending is drawing near.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

She had to have heard wrong. There was just no way that any of this was true.

Xehanort murdered her mother? That couldn't be true, it just couldn't/

Lumen shook her head frantically as the tears spilled from her eyes.

"You're lying!" she cried.

"He couldn't have killed my mother!"

Yen Sid figured that she wouldn't believe him, but he never lied. He knew that this was going to be very hard for her to understand.

"Then tell me" he said.

"How _did _she die?"

Lumen wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled.

"She…I mean I heard…at least father said…" she stammered.

Now that she thought about it, she had no idea how her mother died. All she knew was that she passed away and was never coming back. Eraqus never went into detail as to how her mother died, only that she did.

Yen Sid closed his eyes gravely.

"It seemed your father didn't want to tell you that small detail" he said.

"But then again, who would have the heart to tell their five year old child that her mother was killed? I guess Eraqus didn't want to frighten you"

Lumen gave Yen Sid a harsh stare. He was making it sound that her father was stupid to be hiding stuff from her.

"Stop talking as if what my father did was wrong!" she cried.

Yen Sid just gave her an equal harsh look.

"Your father was foolish to hide this from you" he said.

"He should have told you how your mother died and who was responsible. The fact that he kept you in the dark just made Xehanort even more dangerous"

Lumen had angry tears pool in her eyes again. All of this information was really taking a toll on her mind.

"Why would Xehanort want to kill my mother?" she cried.

"What did she ever do to him? She never had a mean bone within her body"

Yen Sid propped his hand upon his chin in a tired matter. Telling this tale was taking a toll on him as well. He wanted to forget the past that he couldn't save.

"It was because your mother was his greatest threat" he said.

"And he had to destroy it"

Lumen remained quiet as she heard that.

His greatest threat?

Yen Sid simply looked at his tea as if the brown liquid held all of the answers he needed.

"Serenity was different amongst our group" he said.

"While your father and I sided with the light within our hearts, her whole essence was filled with light. She could purify anything that came within her path and could vanquish the darkness without even raising her keyblade. She held powers that made even her stronger than your father and I combined. She was a worthy candidate for the title of being a keyblade master"

He closed his eyes sadly.

"She was a mighty warrior…and yet she was Xehanort's greatest enemy" he said.

Lumen bit her lip as she edged closer to the table. What was so special about her mother that made her Xehanort's enemy?

"Your father and Xehanort were always considered enemies" Yen Sid continued.

"However, Serenity was Xehanort's polar opposite. She sided with the light while he sided with the darkness. She had the power to vanquish the darkness around him and Xehanort felt that was a threat to his plans"

Donald and Goofy were on the edge of their seats as well as they listened. They didn't know who Serenity or Xehanort were, but they felt that they would need to know later down the road.

"Xehanort wanted to control the heart of all worlds and by doing that he needed to draw out the darkness within them" Yen Sid said.

"He would have been able to do so, however Serenity's powers prevented him from doing so"

Lumen bit her lip the more she heard this.

"What was so special about my mother's powers?" she asked.

Yen Sid opened his eyes and gave her a grave look.

"She had the power to connect the light within all the hearts that she touched" he said.

"The chains of light"

Lumen gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. That was the power she possessed. The power that she used against the Unversed. The power her father begged her to never use.

Yen Sid looked at her.

"Oh, I know you would recognize that power" he said.

"It was passed on to you after all"

Donald and Goofy simply watched as Lumen went pale.

Yen Sid leaned back within his seat.

"At first, Xehanort sought that power out, feeling that it would help him obtain his goal" he said.

"But when he saw just how powerful Serenity was and that there would be no way for him to physically obtain that power, he decided he had to get rid of it"

Lumen whimpered, now knowing what he meant by 'get ridding' of.

"Xehanort felt that if he couldn't obtain that power, then no one should" Yen Sid said.

"So, to get rid of the threat that would ruin his goal, he murdered your mother and destroyed the obstacle that would keep him from his dreams"

Lumen cried a little as he repeated that Xehanort murdered her mother.

Goofy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while Donald simply looked at the ground.

Yen Sid sadly looked at Lumen. He never wanted to tell her such a horrific tale, but it had to be told.

She needed to know in order to handle what was about to happen in the future.

"It seemed that Xehanort felt that he destroyed the obstacle that blocked his path, but he was wrong. There was another obstacle that was in his way"

Lumen looked at him with tears running down her face.

"What was it?" she sniffled.

Yen Sid looked at her before pointing towards her.

"You"

Lumen gulped and pointed at herself.

"Me?" she repeated.

"But how? I've never done anything to him. I've never really seen Xehanort"

Yen Sid just closed his eyes for a moment.

"It's because you inherited your mother's powers" he said.

"You have control over the chains of light"

Lumen gulped and looked at her hands. She was a danger to Xehanort?

"Eraqus must and known that Xehanort would be after you next, so he kept you hidden from him for many years" Yen Sid said.

"Since you're not nearly as strong as your mother once was, he feared that Xehanort would take control of you and use your powers to reach his ultimate goal"

Lumen looked at him as she felt her skin grow cold. Everything that she was hearing was spiraling out of control.

" What is it that he's after?" she asked.

"What is his ultimate goal?"

Yen Sid clasped his hands tightly together as he recalled his old friend's horrid plans.

"Kingdom Hearts" he said.

Lumen looked confused as she heard that.

"Kingdom Hearts?" she repeated.

Yen Sid nodded.

"The heart of all worlds" he explained.

"The one door that connects all worlds. To have control over that final door means one has control over all hearts. All hearts lead to one heart, one heart leads to multiple hearts. Kingdom Hearts"

Lumen felt herself shaking as she heard that. So she was the key in Xehanort's plan.

"So…you mean to tell me that he needs me in order to gain this Kingdom Hearts?" she asked shakily.

Yen Sid nodded.

"To have control over the chains of light, one has the ability to connect all worlds together" he said.

"And once that happens, then one has control over Kingdom Hearts; a door that should never be tampered with"

Lumen felt herself shake even harder as she heard that.

If her powers landed within the wrong hands, then all the worlds would be doomed.

"_That was why father told me to never use my powers" _she thought.

"_He knew Xehanort would be after them!"_

She quickly stood up from her seat and caused everyone to jump.

"The worlds are in danger because of me" she said.

"If I continue with my travels, Xehanort will be one step closer to getting me! I need to hide or go somewhere very far-"

She was cut off when she felt a stabbing pain within her heart. She clutched her chest and fell to her knees in pain.

Donald and Goofy rushed over to her and tried to make sure she was ok.

"What's wrong?" Goofy asked.

"Do you need me to heal you" Donald asked, holding up his staff.

Lumen let out shaky breaths as the pain intensified then slowly ebbed away. She was left with a numbing feeling as if she lost something, as if she lost half of her strength.

"I feel like part of me suddenly vanished" she said.

"I feel like my heart is shattering"

Yen Sid had sensed the dreaded feeling as well and he knew why.

"The stars bring me grave danger" he said.

"Master Eraqus's star has blinked out"

Lumen felt as if her heart could shatter. Her whole world came to a screeching halt.

Eraqus: her mentor, her protector, her friend, her father…was dead.

"N-no" she said.

"No, that can't be!"

Goofy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down.

Yen Sid looked at the stars gravely. It tore his heart that his dear old friend was gone.

"It means that he was struck down in battle" he said.

Lumen covered her mouth to suppress her sobs. Her father was faced off against Terra.

Could Terra have…?

"T-Terra…d-did he…?"

Yen Sid looked out at the stars and saw a group of four stars blinking close together-the same stars that Lumen saw with Terra, Aqua and Ven.

"No" he said.

"However, he is responsible for the one who did finish Eraqus off"

Lumen cried into her hands. She felt like she was at her breaking point.

"Who did this?" she sobbed.

"Who killed my father?"

Yen Sid looked at her.

"Master Xehanort" he said.

Lumen cried her heart out as she heard this. Not only did Xehanort murder her mother but now he killed her father. He took her parents away and left her with nothing. He ruined her happiness. He left her alone.

"NO!" she cried.

"Father! Father!"

Even though she was on her knees, she didn't have the strength to even sit up. She toppled forward and would have fallen to the ground had Donald and Goofy not caught her. They both held onto her and let her cry on their shoulders as she poured her heart out.

"Why?" she sobbed.

"Why would he do such a thing? Why would he kill my father as well?"

Yen Sid clenched his hand into a fist. His fears were starting to become reality.

"He was after you" he said.

Lumen held back a cry.

"You mean...for my powers?" she asked.

Yen Sid nodded.

"Eraqus has acted as your shield from the moment you were born. As long as he lived, Xehanort couldn't touch you"

Lumen gripped the fabric around her heart. Her father died because of her. He died trying to protect her.

"Father" she whimpered.

Goofy looked at Lumen sadly before looking at Yen Sid. Even though he hadn't known Lumen for a long time, he knew that she was a good person and didn't deserve this.

"Is she in danger, Master Yen Sid?" he asked.

With Eraqus out of the picture, that meant Xehanort could get to her easily.

Yen Sid shook his head.

"No" he said.

"She's not safe, but Xehanort cannot touch her. She is still protected by someone"

Lumen looked up at him. Who could protect her when her father was gone? Who else did she have left?

"Who?"

The side of Yen Sid's mouth turned upward a little.

"Your fiancée, Terra and your friends" he said.

Lumen gasped and looked at her engagement ring. She was so lost in her sorrows that she nearly forgot about Terra. She thought that he was responsible for everything that happened, but it appears that he wasn't. He was just as much of a victim to all of this as she was.

Even Aqua and Ven were victims to Xehanort. They lost their master because of him.

She smiled weakly. She thought that she was alone since she lost her father, but in reality, she still had her fiancé and her friends.

Her smile vanished when she realized something. If her friends were the only ones left to protect her…then that meant Xehanort would be after them as well!

She paled in horror when she realized they weren't out of the woods yet.

"He's going to go after them next" she said.

She quickly stood up and faced Yen Sid. All of her pain and sorrow were cast aside at the fear of losing her friends. She lost her parents, she couldn't lose her friends or fiancé.

"Tell me, where can I find them!" she pleaded.

Yen Sid closed his eyes for a moment, trying to sense their presence.

"I feel their hearts leading them to the ancient Keyblade Graveyard" he said.

Lumen nodded. So that was where she had to go in order to stop this. She had to reach them before Xehanort did.

"Ok, I'm going there then" she said.

She started walking towards the door, preparing for her showdown with Xehanort.

"I'll stop Xehanort once and for all before he harms anyone else"

Yen Sid watched as she headed for the door. He couldn't let her leave when her mind was so clouded with pain.

"Be careful" he said.

"A heart full of forgiveness accomplishes more than a heart full of vengeance"

Lumen stopped and spun around to face him.

"You expect me to forgive him after what he's done?" she asked.

"Do you want me to act like it's alright that he murdered my mother and father?"

Yen Sid shook his head.

"No, even I cannot forgive him for what he's done to your parents" he said.

"All I ask is to not allow the darkness to blind you. Vengeance is like a poison that will cover everything. If you let just a little out, it will catch like wildfire. Xehanort will expect you to come at him with hatred and if you do, you'll fall right into his trap. You hold the power to connect the worlds Lumen…you are the chain that will link everything together"

Lumen gasped as she heard that. Those were the same words that she heard in her dreams.

"My dream" she whispered.

Now it as starting to make sense. The riddles, the chains, the figure in the picture. It was all her. She was the answer to the riddle. She was the person in the picture.

She summoned her keyblade and looked at it for a moment. Everything that was about to unfold rested on her shoulders.

If she went down the wrong path, then many lives would suffer. The fate of the worlds were in the palm of her hand.

"I'm the one who will connect everything together" she said.

She dismissed her keyblade and looked at Yen Sid. Her resolve was set now.

"I'll defeat Xehanort" she said.

"Not because of revenge…but because if he lives then many more lives will get hurt. I'll stop him before he's able to fulfill his plans"

Yen Sid closed his eyes. He knew that she would say this, but he prayed that she wouldn't.

If she left for the graveyard now, then she was dooming herself.

But it couldn't be helped. Her heart was telling her that she needed to do this and he had to respect that. He had to respect Eraqus and Serenity's final wish.

"Then I pray for your safe journey" he said.

"Xehanort is no pushover so fight with all your strength. Your powers are the key to this battle, so use them wisely"

Lumen nodded.

"I will" she said.

"Thank you for everything, Master Yen Sid. I'm sorry you had to be the one to tell me all of this, but I feel grateful that you did"

Yen Sid closed his eyes.

"I just pray that it's put to good use" he said.

Lumen nodded and headed out the door.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other with worry before looking at Yen Sid.

"Are you really going to let her go?" Donald asked.

Yen Sid sighed.

"Oh, I'm sure my pupil Mickey is heading there as well" he said.

"I just pray that he makes it there in time"

Goofy looked at the ground sadly.

"I hope she'll be ok" he said.

"Me too" Donald said.

Yen Sid closed his eyes.

"_I hope so too" _he thought.

"_You've already taken Eraqus and Serenity from me, Xehanort. Will you take away their living legacy as well?"_

He looked out the window to see Lumen fly off on her keyblade glider.

He sighed sadly as he watched her fly off.

"The stars are growing dimmer" he said.

"_That must mean Kingdom Hearts is growing near"_

He closed his eyes when he realized that the darkness was drawing near and that those four souls were going to suffer greatly.

"_Curse you Xehanort"_

/

**A/N: More like curse me right? I feel like kicking myself for making Lumen suffer like this. No one should feel the pain of losing their parent. **

**But sadly, her pain will result in Hikari's resolve as a keyblade master in the future. She's the key to her future.**

**So now we draw near to the epic and tragic episode in our four heroes lives. How bad will it be and will Lumen be able to push forward after this?**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	22. Keyblade Graveyard

Chapter 22: Keyblade Graveyard

**A/N: The saddest part of the story has finally arrived. We've finally reached the Keyblade Graveyard where our heroes will suffer tragically. What will happen to Lumen when Xehanort unleashes his plan? Will Terra be able to save her…or will he suffer as well?**

**Big news! I started a Trail of Memories panel on fanfiction! For those of you who have questions about the series so far or would like to learn more about Hikari and the others, just send me your questions and I'll answer them for you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

It didn't take her long to reach the Keyblade Graveyard. Even though she had no idea where it was, it seemed that her keyblade did. It was as if it was drawn to the final resting place of so many warriors.

Everywhere she looked, she saw empty barren lands. Not even a single plant was seen on this empty shell of a world.

Lumen let out a shaky breath and placed a hand over her heart.

She was heading towards Xehanort; the man who murdered her parents and wanted to use her to obtain Kingdom Hearts.

She knew that she was out of her element and probably wouldn't stand a chance against him. But she couldn't let him harm Terra, Aqua and Ven.

If they got hurt because of her, she would never forgive herself.

"_Mother…Father…please give me strength" _she thought.

She held her hand up and summoned her keyblade. She never realized just how important her weapon was until just now.

She gripped the handle tightly as she made a silent vow to herself.

"I'll protect the ones that I love most" she said.

"Otherwise I'll have nothing left"

She dismissed her keyblade and looked at the barren path that was before her.

She only had one way to go, and that was towards Xehanort.

Mustering up all of the courage she could gather, she walked towards the path that would seal her fate.

/

Even though there was no living life forms on this world, it was crawling with Unversed. They were so powerful and coated with darkness that Lumen had a hard time fighting them.

She would already be tired after she finished one and had to take a small break before she could go further.

"There's so much darkness on this world that it's suffocating" she said.

"Could Xehanort be here?"

She forced herself to keep moving. She had to reach her friends before Xehanort did. She had to save them before it was too late.

She reached an opening in a rock wall and went through it. She knew that this was the path that she had to take and it would prevent the Unversed from attacking her.

She leaned against the rock wall and let out a shaky breath. She was at her wits end and she felt that she could break at any second now.

She thought she was on a mission to save the worlds from the Unversed, but her world was destroyed in the process. All of the happy memories she created from her travels were shattered because Xehanort wanted to destroy everything.

She covered her face with her hand when she felt herself starting to cry. She cried so much earlier that she felt that she had no more tears left. She wondered how much pain a heart could suffer before it finally broke. She already lost so much in such a short period of time. If she suffered anymore, she didn't know if she would have the strength to continue on.

She placed her hand over her heart.

"Please give me strength" she whispered.

She pushed herself off of the wall and went through the opening that led to the other side.

She found herself standing a four way path and was surrounded by keyblades. These were the weapons that used to belong to great warriors before the fell in battle. So many lives were lost that it was horrifying.

"_Did Xehanort do all of this…or was it the darkness?"_ she thought.

She walked down one of the paths that lead to the center of the graveyard. Her heart was churning with emotions as she saw all of the fallen keyblades. It pained her greatly that so many lives were lost because of the darkness.

"_I hope none of us share a similar fate" _she prayed.

She looked in front of her and saw that someone else was walking down the four way path. She feared that it was Xehanort, but she gasped when she saw that it was Terra.

She was afraid that he got hurt when Xehanort murdered her father, but it seemed he managed to get away.

Terra stopped for a moment when he saw her and when he recognized her he ran. Lumen had tears in her eyes and ran as well. It seemed like eternity running down the long dwindling path, but when they finally reached each other Lumen threw herself at Terra. She cried into his chest as he her tightly, fearing that if he let her go she would disappear.

He ran a hand through her hair as he pressed his face on top of her head.

"Thank goodness you're safe" he said.

"I was so worried that something happened to you"

Lumen sobbed into Terra's shirt. She was so relieved that he was safe and alright, but at the same time she was heartbroken. Terra was able to get away from Xehanort, but her father didn't.

"Terra" she sobbed.

"My father…he's….he's…"

She felt Terra squeeze her tighter, indicating that he knew what happened.

"I know" he said weakly.

"I saw Xehanort do it"

He bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly as the memory of his master vanishing flashed before his eyes.

"It's all my fault" he said.

"I should have saved him. I should never have fought with him. I didn't mean to…but I didn't want him to hurt you"

Lumen gripped his shirt tightly as the tears continued to fall.

"You weren't the one that killed him" she said.

"Xehanort did. He took another person that I loved most away from me"

Terra looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Lumen whimpered as she held Terra tightly.

"He murdered my mother"

Terra felt his heart drop. He had always wondered what happened to Lady Serenity. He knew that she was so important to Lumen growing up and when she died it broke Lumen's heart.

The fact that Xehanort was the one who killed her made his blood boil. Not only did he kill his master, he killed his fiancée's mother. He would not get away with this.

Lumen just held onto Terra. She didn't want to face the world and what her future may bring. She just wanted to be near Terra and feel safe. She felt so lost and vulnerable lately that she needed some sort of protection.

"My parents died because of me" she said.

"Because I have the power to connect the heart of all the worlds together. Xehanort wanted me to he could open a final door and my parents had to suffer!"

She just cried until she had no more tears left.

"I don't know what to do. I know I must fight Xehanort but I don't know if I have the strength to defeat him. I don't want him to win, but I don't want anyone to get hurt. I'm so lost that I'm scared"

Terra stroked her hair to calm her down. It always tore him up to see her cry like this. Every time she cried, he simply wanted to take the pain away.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise" he said.

He pulled her away slightly so he could face her properly.

"I'll protect you no matter what" he said.

"As long as I'm here, no one will lay a finger on you. I'll protect you with my life"

He touched the engagement ring that he gave her.

"Because that is my duty as your future husband"

Lumen gave him a watery smile and threw her arms around him.

"Terra!"

The two of them simply held on to each other as if they were the only ones left in the world. After seeing so many hardships they were the only thing they had left that kept them sane. Their love for each other was force that kept them moving.

They stayed like this for a while until they heard someone walking down one of the paths that lead to where they were.

Breaking away slightly, they saw Aqua heading towards them. It seemed that she too knew what had happened and came to stop Xehanort.

When she reached them she had a grave look on her face.

"I was told… the Master was struck down" she said.

Terra looked away painfully.

"Yes…that's right" he said.

Aqua looked sad when she heard that.

Terra closed his eyes gravely.

"I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it. The Master-he tried to hurt Ven and Lumen. I only fought because I wanted to protect them. But I was tricked. Xehanort set the whole thing up-all so he could awaken the darkness inside me"

He looked at Aqua sadly.

"You were right Aqua-and so was the Master. I did need to be watched. I went astray-but no more"

He looked at Lumen and held her hand.

"I won't let him hurt anyone else. I'll make him pay for what he's done"

Aqua looked at them before sadly looking at the ground.

"What else is darkness but hate and rage?" she asked.

"Xehanort is feeding the dark fires within you-making you fight. You'll go astray again. Tell me-how does that honor our Master's memory, Terra?"

She looked at Lumen.

"How is that going to protect Lumen? The darkness won't save her…it'll only cause her more pain"

Lumen looked at Terra and cupped his face.

"Please Terra, don't fight for revenge" she said.

"Nothing is gain from a heart full of vengeance…all it leads to is more pain. I lost so much because of it, I can't lose you as well"

She placed a hand over her heart.

"Please, I'm begging you as your fiancée…don't give in to the darkness"

Terra looked at her sadly for a moment before looking away. The darkness nearly tore them apart before. He couldn't let that happen again.

Gently, he placed his hands over hers and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Alright" he said.

"Because I don't want to lose you, I'll do as you say"

Lumen gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you"

Ven came towards them as soon as they made their promise. It seemed that he too was safe and found out what had happened.

The poor boy looked to sad and broken that it tore their hearts.

Ven looked at the ground sadly. Everything that he had just learned about himself plagued his mind.

"Xehanort wants me and Vanitas to fight, and make some kind of 'X-blade'" he said.

"But the master said we can't let that happen…and he tried to destroy me for it"

"X-blade?" Aqua asked uneasily. It unnerved her that her master nearly destroyed Ven.

Ven nodded.

"I still don't know exactly what it is" he said.

"But…it scares me to death. Even just the thought of it"

Terra went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Ven" he said.

"We're here and we're gonna take care of you"

Ven just looked at the ground.

"I may have to fight Vanitas after all" he said.

"If I do, guys…I want you to-"

"The four of us can never be torn apart, all right?" Terra said.

"I'll always find a way"

Aqua smiled weakly and placed her hand on Ven's face.

"It's going to be ok" she said.

Ven just looked at them sadly and pushed their hands away.

"I'm asking you as a friend" he said.

"Just…put an end to me"

Terra and Aqua looked upset that Ven would mention that. Was he really thinking of sacrificing himself?

Lumen knelt in front of Ven and gripped his shoulders.

"Ventus" she said.

"It's going to be ok. You're not alone and you never will be. We'll always be together"

Ven shook his head.

"Xehanort is going to hurt a lot of people if I still exist" he said.

"This has to be the way"

Lumen gave him a weak smile.

"No it isn't" she said.

"Xehanort is after me as well, but I'm not afraid. I have Terra, Aqua and you by my side. As long as I know we'll be together, then I don't have anything to be afraid. We have a bond that will never be broken"

She suddenly thought of the Paopu fruit that she brought from the islands and pulled it out.

Aqua gasped when she saw it.

"You found one" she breathed.

Lumen smiled weakly and looked at the fruit.

"I know legend says that when two people share this fruit, that they become a part of each other's lives" she said.

"But what are the odds when it's shared between four people?"

She looked at them with a sad weak smile.

"You three are all I have left. I can't lose you guys" she said.

"So let's make an unbreakable connection…a bond that will never be destroyed no matter what?"

Aqua laughed weakly.

"Sounds like a wonderful plan"

Lumen smiled and broke the paopu fruit into four pieces. When they all ate their half they could feel the bond that they all created.

An unbreakable connection.

Their happy moment was ruined when they felt a dark, sinister presence.

Standing a few yards away from them were none other than Xehanort and Vanitas. Both appeared to have been waiting for them and looked happy to see them.

Xehanort had a cruel smirk upon his face when he saw them. His plans were slowly starting to form.

His waved his hand towards the side, gesturing towards the fallen keyblades.

"Behold" he said.

"These lifeless keys used to be full of power-united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat…as a great keyblade war raged. Countless keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search for one, the ultimate key. And it will soon belong to me…"

He grinnded darkly and pointed towards Ven and Lumen.

"X-blade!"

The four heroes glared at Xehanort and activated their armor.

The time for battle had finally came.

Terra reacted first and charged at Xehanort and Vanitas.

"Terra!" Lumen cried.

Terra went to attack Xehanort, only to be slammed into a wall of rock that Xehanort summoned. They watched as Xehanort rose up on a higher pillar of rock while Vanitas summoned some of the fallen keyblades and rode them like a skateboard.

Lumen dodged a wave of keyblades as Vanitas tried to attack her. It seemed he still wanted revenge for being defeated before.

Aqua and Ven ran out of the way too, but Aqua got attacked by a blast of keyblades and had her helmet knocked off.

"Aqua!" Ven cried.

"Are you alright?"

Aqua nodded and tried to find Terra. She spotted him but saw that a wave of keyblades were about to hit him. Knowing that Lumen was distracted by Vanitas at the moment, she quickly sent a shield spell at Terra.

"Terra!"

The shield managed to block the keybaldes, but it didn't last long and broke. Terra got hit by the keyblades and slammed to the ground upon impact.

"Terra!" Lumen cried.

She looked at Vanitas and blasted him with her chain of lights spell before she ran towards Terra.

She skidded in front of her fiancé and helped him up. They both looked up when they heard Ven cry and saw that he was within Xehanort's clutches.

"Ven!" they cried.

Ven struggled to get out of Xehanort's grasp, but he was frozen by a blizzard spell and went crashing to the ground. He would have been seriously injured if Aqua hadn't saved him.

"Thank goodness" Lumen said.

She glared up at Xehanort when she saw him gather darkness within his hand and launched up towards the sky. The clouds broke apart and revealed a sight that shook everyone to their very core.

A heart shaped moon.

Lumen gulped when she saw the moon. She may have never seen it before, but she knew exactly what it was.

"_Kingdom Hearts" _she thought.

So this was the final door that Xehanort needed her for.

She looked at Terra to see him rip off his helmet in frustration.

"Terra?"

Terra closed his eyes for a moment before they flashed open with anger. He summoned his keyblade glider and jumped on.

"Jump on!" he cried.

Lumen quickly did so and held on tight as he flew up the pillar that Xehanort stood on.

When they landed, they deactivated their armor and glared at the fallen keyblade master.

Xehanort grinned darkly when he saw that he had two of his most important pawns. Everything was falling into place now.

"Admirably done" he said.

"I knew this was a journey you could make-over the unseen wall that divides light and darkness. And I was not wrong!"

Lumen's fist shook with anger. How could he just stand there smiling when he caused so much harm to others? Did he not care who got hurt?

"Tell me Xehanort" she hissed.

"To what purpose did it serve you that you had to murder my mother and father? What did you gain knowing that you took the lives of innocent souls? What could you possibly be after that would blacken your heart so?"

Xehanort just laughed at that.

"My how you act like Eraqus at a time like this" he said.

"Your mother and father have been nothing but trouble to my plans. I had hoped to show them the wonders of the darkness and fulfill my dream of summoning Kingdom Hearts. But alas, they could never see the wonders that the door to darkness could bring like I did. So in order to destroy the blocks in my path, I simply…disposed of them"

He smiled darkly and pointed a finger at her direction.

"And now with them out of the way, I can claim what is rightfully mine" he said.

"The chains of light-your heart"

Lumen growled and summoned her keyblade.

"Xehanort!"

She charged at him, but was blocked by Vanitas.

"Long time to see, Angel face" he said.

Lumen growled at him and knocked him out of the way.

"Get out of my way!"

She ran for Xehanort again, but Vanitas simply got in front of her again.

"I told you that you would wish that you finished me off earlier" he said.

"Now looks where it's come to"

Lumen gripped her keyblade tightly and pointed it at Vanitas.

"Fine, if you won't get out of my way, I'll make you" she said.

"And I'll make sure you stay away from Ven"

Vanitas just laughed and went into a fighting stance.

"I'd love to see you try" he said.

Terra summoned his keyblade and ran for Xehanort.

"I'll get Xehanort, you handle Vanitas" he said.

Lumen nodded and charged at the masked boy. It seemed since their encounter on Radiant Garden, the two of them improved on their skills. Vanitas was quicker than before and managed to get a few hits on Lumen before she figured out his pattern and managed to block.

She refused to use the chain of lights, fearing that Xehanort would use it to summon Kingdom Hearts.

"Defending yourself isn't going to beat me, angel face" Vanitas said.

"It'll just give me a better chance of killing you!"

Lumen flipped out of the way and cast thunder on him. Vanitas simply jumped out of the way and laughed as he did so.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted.

"Surely you can do better?"

Lumen smiled evilly and aimed her keyblade at him.

"Fine, let me show you better"

Activating her shot lock command, she cast feather blades and had them impale into Vanitas. Lumen smiled with satisfaction when the sharp feathers dug into Vanitas's skin and pinned him to the ground. Lumen went up to him and watched as he struggled before she hit him in the face with her keyblade.

"That was for hitting me back on Radiant Garden" she said.

Vanitas simply glared at her trough his mask.

"You'll pay for this" he hissed.

Lumen rolled her eyes.

"Like I've never heard that before"

She spun on her heel and headed for where Terra and Xehanort were fighting. It seemed Xehanort was thrilled when he saw the darkness coming off of Terra. The boy was trying very hard to keep it contained, but it was too late now. The boy was within the palm of his hands now.

They both stepped back when they clashed blades and faced each other.

Xehanort grinned darkly at Terra.

Waving his hand, he freed Vanitas from his hold and looked at him.

"Go take what Ven owes you" he said.

"And take Aqua's life"

Vanitas laughed and jumped off the pillar to go fight the two that were down below.

Lumen ran after him.

"Stay away from them!" she cried.

She went to jump off, but she was held back by someone. Crying out in pain, she thrashed around as Xehanort held her by her throat and let her dangle in the air.

"Not so fast my dear" he said.

"I have a very important task for you"

"Lumen!" Terra cried in horror.

Xehanort laughed and turned around so he could see Lumen struggling.

"You see how powerless you are to save her?" he taunted.

He summoned up his keyblade and positioned it over Lumen's heart.

"Now you'll get to see as I rip her heart out"

Lumen struggled as she tried to get away from his keyblade. If that thing touched her, it was all over for her.

Terra watched in despair as Lumen fought for her life. He was powerless to save her and he knew it.

He was weak after all.

Xehanort laughed at the sight of Terra.

"Savor that rage and despair" he said.

"Let it empower you!"

Terra glared at him as the darkness started to come off of him. He couldn't hold it back any longer. Not when his fiancé was about to be killed.

"You will pay Xehanort" he hissed.

"Let my wife go!"

Lumen panicked while Xehanort grinned.

"Yes, boy, that's it! More!" he cried.

"Let your whole heart blacken with anger!"

Terra let out an anguish cry as the darkness consumed him.

Lumen watched in horror as the darkness covered Terra.

"Terra, no!" she cried.

Xehanort let her go and charged at Terra. Lumen had to watch as Terra fought with Xehanort. The darkness was so strong between them that it made her sick.

"Terra" she whimpered.

Seeing Terra like this simply showed how much pain he had to shoulder. Seeing her nearly getting killed by Xehanort must have pushed him to the edge and made him fight off of instincts rather than his heart.

Tears fell from her eyes when she saw how ruthless Terra was fighting now. He was acting more like an animal than he was as a man.

"Terra, please stop!" she pleaded.

Her pleas fell upon deaf ears as Terra continued to fight with Xehanort. Even though Lumen wanted him to be stopped for what he planned to do, she didn't want him to be killed like this.

He was still a person, no matter how blacken his heart was.

Terra gained the upper hand and knocked Xehanort off of his feet. The old man groaned as he looked up to see Terra raise his keyblade to land the final blow.

Lumen panicked and ran after him.

"Terra stop!" she cried.

Terra swung his arms forward and went to land the final blow.

Lumen wrapped hers arms around him and held him back.

"TERRA!" she screamed.

Terra's keyblade hovered a few inches near Xehanort's face. The darkness started to subside as he looked at Lumen. Tears were running down her face as she looked up at him.

"Stop" she whimpered.

"This isn't you. You're not a killer"

She pressed her face into his body.

"Don't let the darkness take you away from me"

The darkness vanished completely as Terra lowered his keyblade. Letting it clatter to the ground, he pulled Lumen close.

"Lumen" he whispered.

Lumen hugged him tightly.

"I lost my mother and father because of him, don't let him take you from me either"

Terra closed his eyes and felt the light fill his heart.

"He won't tear us apart" he vowed.

"I promise"

Lumen closed her eyes and simply listened to Terra's heart.

Xehanort looked at Lumen for a moment. Instead of seeing her, he saw Serenity.

"Serenity" he said quietly.

An eruption from below caused all of them to break out of their little trances. Xehanort laughed evilly when he saw a pillar of light shot up from below.

"The X-blade has been forged!"

Terra and Lumen panicked.

"Ven!" they cried.

Xehanort stood up and held his keyblade to his chest.

"And now, Terra, it is time for the final union!"

He pierced his heart with his keyblade and watched his heart leave his body. Terra stepped back in fear as he saw this.

"At last our moment is here" Xehanort said.

"Out with the old brittle vessel, and in with a younger, stronger new one! I swore I would survive…and be there to see what awaited beyond the keyblade war! And now it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!"

Xehanort's heart shot at Terra to claim him as his new vessel. Terra panicked and pushed Lumen out of the way so she wouldn't get hurt and activated his armor to act as a shield.

It proved useless because Xehanort's heart entered his body and covered him with darkness.

"Terra!" Lumen cried.

Xehanort disappeared into particles of light and emerged within his new vessel. The armor covering Terra's body fell from him and revealed a horrifying sight.

Lumen covered her mouth when she saw that Terra had changed. His brown hair was now silver while his skin was slightly darker and his eyes turned bright gold.

Terra was no more. Instead, Xehanort stood in his place.

Lumen felt tears pool in her eyes when she realized Terra was gone…just like everyone else that she loved.

"Terra!" she whimpered.

Xehanort looked at his new body and smirked.

"This heart belongs again to the darkness. All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it-it grows, consumes it. Such is it's nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came"

He looked at Lumen and summoned his keyblade.

"And now it's your turn to return to the darkness"

Lumen stepped back when he started to approach her. She didn't know what to do. She was no match against him and she could never harm Terra's body.

She stumbled and fell to the ground as she tried to get away from him.

"Terra!" she cried.

Xehanort laughed at her.

"Your precious fiancé can never reach you now, Lumen" he said.

"But I'll be sure to have you join him in the afterlife"

He raised his keyblade, preparing to finish Lumen off, when all of a sudden the area around them changed, looking as if they were trapped within another realm.

"What?" Xehanort cried.

He turned around and saw that Terra's discarded armor and merged together to create a person. The armored figure knelt to the ground with Terra's keyblade held in its hands.

Xehanort growled as he gripped his keyblade.

"Your body submits, your heart succumbs-so why does your mind still resist?"

He thought of something and looked at Lumen.

"Ah, now I see" he said.

"As long as she lives, so do you"

He aimed his keyblade at her.

"Then I'll have to fix that"

The armored figure stood up and zipped past them to grab Lumen and take her to safety. When it placed her down, she looked up at it. She didn't know why, but she could sense life within the armor.

A very familiar soul that she thought was lost.

"Terra?"

The armored figure didn't say anything. It simply held its keyblade and faced Xehanort.

Lumen had tears in her eyes as she looked at the armored figure.

"Terra, it is you!" she cried.

She looked at him then back at Xehanort. Now she saw why he couldn't give up. He was keeping his promise to protect her, even when his body was taken over.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she summoned her keyblade and stood next to Terra.

"Come on, Terra" she said.

"Let's get your body back"

Xehanort just laughed and went into a fighting stance.

"Return to the darkness whence you came!"

With being in a new body, Xehanort proved to be a long stronger. He was faster and deadlier with his attacks. Lumen tried to attack him a few times, but Terra would always pull her away and attack instead. It was as if he was telling her that this was his fight and that he didn't want her to share the same fate as him.

Xehanort was at his wits end. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to fight with his new body just yet but it seemed that Terra was determined to reclaim his body.

Lumen tried to fight as much as she could, but she knew that this was not her battle. Terra had to be the one to finish this.

At one point in the battle, Xehanort went to launch a very deadly attack that almost finished Terra. Lumen quickly reacted and used the only spell that would save her fiancé.

"Chains of light!"

Chains wrapped around Xehanort's whole body and kept him stationed. Lumen glared at Xehanort. She didn't want to use that power, knowing that Xehanort was after it, but it was the only way to save Terra.

"_You will be destroyed by the power that you obsessed for" _she thought.

Terra landed the final blow and knocked Xehanort out.

Xehanort's keyblade vanished when he was defeated. The realm that they were all trapped in vanished and left them at the pillar that they were last on.

A great explosion of light erupted from down below. Ven and Aqua's battle seemed to have finished and the light was an end result. The light spread everywhere as it touched everything. It reached Xehanort and sucked him away from the keyblade graveyard and towards an unknown location.

Lumen panicked when Terra's body vanished and looked at Terra's armor. She grabbed his arm and tugged him forward.

"Terra, hurry!" she cried.

"We have to reach your body before it's too late!"

Terra looked at the ground as if knowing something that she did not. He was simply an empty shell now. He could not go with her.

He looked at the charm that Aqua made him and held it tightly for a moment.

Lumen saw the gesture and didn't know what to make of it.

"Terra?"

Terra held Lumen's hand out and placed his charm within it before grabbing hers in return.

This made Lumen worried.

"Terra, what are you doing?"

Terra held her tightly and ran his hand through her hair like he had done many times before. Lumen could have sworn that she heard his voice within her head.

"_Forgive me"_

He hit the device that activated her armor and stepped back.

Now Lumen was really freaking out. She knew what he was up to now and she didn't like it.

"No, Terra, don't!" she cried.

"What are you do-"

Her words were cut off when Terra regretfully hit her in the stomach and knocked her out. She slumped within his arms and blacked out.

He carefully set her to the ground and stepped back when the light started to reach her. Feeling his heart ache, he watched as the only woman that he ever loved disappeared, never to return to this world again.

The clouds covered the sky, sending the graveyard into darkness.

Terra slammed his keyblade within the ground and knelt before it. Since he could not leave this world, he would have to wait until someone would be able to return to this world.

He hung his head as he thought about how he had failed his friends greatly.

"_Aqua…Ven…one day, I will set this right"_

He looked at Lumen's charm and thought of the woman that he loved so much but had to be separated from.

"_Lumen…I will return to you…one day we'll be together again"_

/

Off in the land of Radiant Garden, Leon and Hikari sat out in their front yard looking at the stars. This was one of their favorite hobbies that they did as siblings and they always enjoyed each moment of it.

Leon looked at the sky for a bit before he stifled a yawn.

"I think we should head inside, Hikari" he said.

"I'm sure mom will be worried if we don't"

Hikari pouted a little but stood up.

"Ok"

Leon held out his hand for her and walked her back towards the house. As they were walking, he noticed that something was off with Hikari.

She was crying.

Leon stopped and looked at her. What could his sister be sad about?

"Hikari, what's wrong?" he asked.

Hikari stopped and looked at him.

"Huh?"

Leon gestured to her face.

"You're…"

Hikari touched her face and felt tears drops. Pulling her hand back, she looked at it with confusion.

"That's weird" she said.

She placed a hand over her heart when she suddenly felt a tug at it.

"It's like something's squeezing me inside" she said.

Leon scratched his head in thought.

"Somebody up there must be sad" he said.

Hikari looked up at him.

"Up where, Ni-san?"

Leon smirked a little and pointed towards the sky.

"Mom says that every world is connected by one great big sky" he said.

"So maybe there's somebody up there in all those worlds who's really hurting, and they're waiting for you to help them"

Hikari looked up at the sky in wonder. Someone out there was calling for her?

"Well, do you think there's something I could do?" she asked.

Leon thought for a moment.

"Hmm…maybe you just need to open your heart and listen" he said.

Hikari gave him a funny look.

"You say some really weird things, Ni-san" she said.

"But I'll give it a try"

She looked up at the sky before she closed them and placed her hands over her heart.

Opening her heart, she called out to the person who was in pain and tried to help.

"**Hey…can you hear me?"**

/

**A/N: And so poor Terra and Lumen are separated. I have to tell you, this was a hard chapter for me to write. Mainly because I was crying a little. **

**Poor Lumen, it seems her heart is slowly breaking to tiny pieces. How long can she handle the pain before it becomes too much?**

**On the positive side, we got to see Hikari again! She's trying to reach out to Lumen, but will she be able to do it in time?**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	23. The Final Episode

Chapter 23: The Final Episode

**A/N: Yes, we've made it! We've reached the final chapter to this story. There's still the epilogue and the 'blanks points', but this is where we'll have to say goodbye to our favorite heroes for the time being. **

**I know you're all sad that Lumen was separated from Terra, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a little mean again and have Lumen suffer a bit more. Her fate will be Hikari's future after all.**

**I want to thank you guys for sticking with me until the end!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

"_Forgive me"_

Terra's words echoed through Lumen's head as she regained consciousness.

"Terra!" she cried as she sat up.

She thought that she would be passed out on the ground at the Keyblade Graveyard, but instead she found herself in Yen Sid's study with Donald and Goofy hovering over her.

"W-what?"

"Gosh, I'm glad you're alright"

Lumen sat up and looked around for the source of the voice. She gasped when she saw that it was Mickey and he was standing next to her. She hadn't seen the keyblade apprentice since they ran into each other at Radiant Garden. She was relieved to know that he was alright since then.

Mickey smiled when he saw that she was up.

"You had us really worried" he said.

"I found you drifting in the between lanes when I rescued the other two"

Lumen raised an eyebrow.

"Other two?"

Mickey nodded and pointed to the two individuals that were a little ways off. Lumen followed his gaze and was shocked to see Aqua and Ven here as well. Aqua hovered over Ven who appeared to be asleep at the moment.

They both looked a little scuffed up from the fight they just had, but other than that, they were alright.

"Aqua!" Lumen cried.

She crawled over to where she saw and threw her arms around her. She smiled as she hugged her best friend close.

"Thank goodness you're alright" she said.

"I was so worried that something happened to you"

Aqua smiled weakly and patted Lumen's shoulder.

"I'm relieved that you're safe too" she said.

Lumen let her go and turned towards her attention to Ven. The boy had his bowed as he was leaned against the wall. He seemed to be sleeping since he hardly moved at all except for breathing.

Lumen smiled gently and tapped his cheek.

"Hey, Ven. Wake up" she said.

When she didn't get a response she tapped a little harder.

"Come on, Ven. Wake up. Aqua and I want to know that you're ok"

Aqua bit her lip as she looked away. She knew that Ven wasn't going to wake up and wouldn't any time soon.

"Lumen" she said weakly.

"He's not going to wake up"

Lumen stopped and slowly looked at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Aqua looked at her for a second. She opened her mouth to say something, but shook her head and turned to Yen Sid.

The keyblade master nodded gravely and gave Lumen the bad news.

"The boy's heart is sleeping" he said.

Lumen looked between Ven and Yen Sid.

Sleeping? How could his heart be sleeping? Did that mean he couldn't wake up?

"Is he going to wake up?" she asked fearfully.

Yen Sid shook his head.

"I cannot say" he said.

"It's as if his heart has left. Should it return, he might wake. Should it not, then he may sleep like this for eternity"

Lumen's hand shot up to her mouth as she heard that.

Ven could never wake up?

"No" she choked.

"Not Ven too. First my parents and then Terra"

She suddenly remembered the events at the Keyblade Graveyard and remembered Xehanort taking Terra's body to when Terra knocked her unconscious.

She looked at his charm that he had left her and felt the tears fall. She clutched the charm to her heart and cried out for her fiancé.

"Terra!" she cried.

Aqua looked at her friend sadly. She wondered where Terra was, but Yen Sid had no clue as to where he was. She could only hope that he was able to get out of the Keyblade Graveyard and away from Xehanort.

Mickey looked at the scene sadly. He felt so helpless at this point. If only he had arrived sooner, then none of them would have to suffer like this.

Lumen wiped her eyes and looked at Ven. Even though her heart shattered over the fact that Ven was trapped within an eternal sleep, she hoped that he would one day wake up.

She touched his cheek and gently stroked his face.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

Aqua looked at her for a moment then to Ven.

"We'll protect him-until he wakes" she said.

"Even if it takes forever"

Lumen looked at Aqua as she said that. She could tell how torn her best friend was over this. She always knew that Aqua held a soft spot for Ven since he joined their group. To see him like this must have torn her heart in two.

If she was going to protect Ven until he woke up, she would too. He was precious to her as well.

Yen Sid mulled over their idea.

"I will tell you what your friend needs right now. It is not protection" he said.

"He needs you to believe"

He closed his eyes.

"You see, Ventus's heart hangs in the balance. It sleeps in a place between light and darkness. From all I can perceive, that means he will be looking for a friend-one who believes in him, to show him the way home. Just as long as you love him…then Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes. He can follow that love back to where he belongs-the realm of light"

Lumen looked at Aqua and gave her a weak smile.

"I think you'll be able to handle that" she said.

"No one has as much love for Ven as you do"

Aqua returned the smile weakly then looked at Ven. If her love could bring him back, then she would give him all the love she could handle. Anything if it meant for him to return.

She carefully picked him and placed him on her back.

"We need to keep him somewhere safe" she said.

"Some place where the darkness can't reach him"

Lumen nodded and slowly stood up.

"Do you have a place in mind?"

Aqua shook her head.

"No, but its better than not doing anything"

She started to head for the door but stopped when she saw that Lumen didn't follow. Lumen gave her a weak smile and nudged her head towards the door.

"Go on ahead, I'll be right there" she said.

"I just need to ask Master Yen Sid something"

Aqua nodded and left the room.

Lumen didn't say anything as she looked at the ground. So many thoughts ran through her head, but one of them screamed loudly within her heart.

Where was Terra?

His body was engulfed by the light while his soul was trapped somewhere else. Where was he and how could she return to him again?

She looked at Yen Sid sadly. Even though he revealed the horrible truth about Xehanort, he was the only one she could trust.

He would know where Terra was.

"Master…you know where Terra is…don't you?" she asked, even though it sounded like a statement.

Yen Sid closed his eyes.

"Which part?" he asked.

"His body…or his soul?"

Lumen bit back a whimper. She didn't want to think that Terra's body was taken over by Xehanort.

"Both" she said.

Yen Sid let out a heavy sigh.

"His soul remains trapped on the Keyblade Graveyard" he said.

"As for his body…I'm afraid I do not know"

Lumen's hand curled into a fist. So there was no way to save Terra?

No! she couldn't believe that. There had to be a way to save him. There had to be a way to bring him back together. Since she knew where his soul was, all she had to do was go there and take him with to reclaim his body.

"Tell me…how can I get back to the Keyblade Graveyard"

Yen Sid gave her a harsh stare.

"That world has been blocked off by the power of darkness" he said.

"It's as if that world is shielding itself from intruders…as if it does not want to disturbed"

Lumen gave him an angry look.

"But that's where Terra's soul is!" she cried.

"If I can get his soul, I can track down his body and return him to his former self!"

Yen Sid shook his head.

"I'm afraid it is not that easy" he said.

"Moving a soul is like trying to catch air with your bare hands. Terra's soul cannot be moved between place to place. It needs to remain where it is now. Were you to move his soul, there would be the chance that parts of it would break off and leave him incomplete. You'll need a whole soul if you want Terra to return"

Lumen's body went slack. So then that meant she couldn't return to him?

"You mean I have to find his body first?"

Yen Sid nodded.

"I'm afraid so" he said.

Lumen looked at the ground gave off a broken laugh.

"Of course" she said.

"And since I don't know where it is, that makes it even better"

She turned around and headed for the door. Aqua was probably wondering what was taking her and didn't want to keep her waiting any longer.

"Wait Lumen" Yen Sid said.

Lumen stopped and weakly looked at him. Yen Sid could see how broken she was and that she was on her last thread. If she suffered any more then she would be lost as well.

"Remember what I told you before. A heart full of forgiveness accomplishes more than a heart full of vengeance"

Lumen shook her head sadly as she looked at the ceiling.

"I'm past the point to where I can forgive Xehanort" she said in a broken voice.

"And he's destroyed everything that I hold dear that it's too late to seek revenge"

A tear slid down her face as she thought of all of her loves ones that were ruined by that foul, evil man.

"He murdered my mother and father, he took over my fiancée's body and now he's made Ven an empty shell. I've lost to him. I've lost my life. I lost my purpose to this mission"

She looked at him brokenly.

"I've lost…everything"

With that, she opened the door and left to go meet with Aqua.

Mickey looked at where Lumen stood then at his master. His heart felt like it could shatter at this point. The kind, brave girl that he met at Radiant Garden was nothing more than an empty shell now.

"Yen Sid?" he asked.

Yen Sid had his eyes closed as he replayed the image into his head. That was the same look Eraqus gave him when Serenity died.

"There's nothing more painful…than living in a world without the one you love" he said deeply.

Mickey looked at his master in confusion. He didn't know why his master would say that, but only Yen Sid knew.

"_There's nothing more painful than living in a world without the one you love" _he thought again.

"_I'm sure you know that all too well now…Eraqus"_

/

Aqua was waiting outside when Lumen finally stepped out of the tower. She gave her a weak smile before she adjusted her grip on Ven.

"Ven needs a safe place" she said.

Lumen looked at Ven's sleeping form and stroked his head. Aqua was right, he needed to stay somewhere while they searched for his heart. They couldn't let the Unversed or the darkness reach him.

But the problem was, where could they hide him? They couldn't drop him off on any of the worlds that they traveled to and they doubted Yen Sid would keep him here.

So what were they to do now?

Ven's hand slowly flexed for a second before his keyblade suddenly appeared.

Aqua and Lumen jumped when they saw Ven raise his keyblade and open a portal with it. Even though he was in a deep sleep it seemed his body was still awake.

Aqua smirked as she figured out where Ven wanted to go.

"I guess he wants us to go this way" she said.

Lumen summoned her keyblade and stepped forward.

"I'll take the front" she said.

" We don't know what's on the other side of this portal and you're carrying Ven"

Aqua nodded and adjusted her grip on the sleeping boy.

"Let's go"

The girls slowly stepped through the portal and entered the area that Ven wanted to go.

/

The sight that Lumen saw was something that she would have seen in a horror film. After stepping through the portal she found herself back on her home world. That would have been a wonderful thing, but there was one problem.

It was completely destroyed.

After Eraqus died it seemed this world was left vulnerable to the darkness. The world that housed keyblade warriors had to always be protected by a keyblade master. They were the source of protection that kept the darkness at bay.

But when that keyblade master was gone, then the world was left open.

Lumen could hear Aqua gasp in horror when she saw the sight of their world too. She didn't pay attention to her and slowly walked around the broken garden. The last time that she was here, her father tried to destroy Ven and ended up fighting Terra.

Her legs caved in when she saw her father's keyblade. The only thing that was left of him was his trusted weapon. The key that protected this world.

Reaching out with a shaking hand, she picked up her father's keyblade and held it close to her heart. She could feel the magic gone from it as well as her father's presence. It seemed that it died along with Eraqus.

"Father" she sobbed.

Aqua slowly approached her and gave her a sympathetic look. She could only imagine what her best friend was feeling. She was heartbroken when she heard her master died but Eraqus was Lumen's father. This was a thousand times worse for her.

"Lumen" she said.

Lumen looked up and wiped her eyes. Her hands never let go of her father's keyblade.

"Why did Ven want to come here?" she asked.

"How could he possibly be safe when this world is pretty much destroyed?"

Aqua looked up at the broken castle and thought back to what Eraqus said when she became a master.

A secret only a master could know about this castle.

"Maybe it has to do with what your father told me" she said.

She looked at Lumen and gave her a serious look.

"Your father told you about this world if anything were to happen to him, right?" she asked.

"What you had to do when you took over his place?"

Lumen looked at the castle and thought back on a time when her father told her something important.

/

"_Lumen"_

_Eraqus had summoned his daughter to his studies to tell her something important. Something she had to know when she took over as being the ruler of this world._

"_Yes, father?" Lumen asked._

_Eraqus sighed deeply as he looked at his flesh and blood._

"_I need to tell you something important- something you will need to know when you take over my place as ruler of this world"_

_Lumen looked nervous as her father said that. She never liked it when he reminded her that she needed to take over of being the ruler of this world. It just reminded her that one day he will die._

_Eraqus stood from his desk and slowly walked around his study._

"_As you may know this world is protected by its ruler" he said._

"_Should anything happen to me before you become ruler- there is something that you must do"_

_Lumen bit her lip. _

"_What would that be?"_

_Eraqus gave his daughter a serious look._

"_Should anything happen to me, and you find the legion of darkness at our doorstep…I ask that you take my keyblade and lock this world away"_

_Lumen took a step back in fear when she heard that. Lock this world away?_

"_W-what?" she asked._

_Eraqus summoned his keyblade and held it out._

"_Generations of keyblade masters have been charged with keeping this land safe" he said._

"_Even though you refuse to become a master, you are my daughter so you are charged with the same privilege. Light and darkness exist in balance here, and there are those who would abuse such neutral ground. This is why are predecessors devised a certain…trick"_

_Lumen raised an eyebrow._

"_Trick?"_

_Eraqus smirked a little and nodded._

"_I cannot tell you what it is, but should the moment arise, you'll know. Your heart will tell you"_

_Lumen looked at her father's keyblade and touched it slightly._

"_Will I be the only one who has to do this?" she asked._

_Eraqus shook his head and dismissed his keyblade._

"_Of course not. When Terra and Aqua pass their Mark of Mastery exams they'll know as well. You'll never have to handle such burdens on your own"_

_Lumen placed a hand over heart._

"_I hope that day never comes" she said._

"_I don't want to think what life would be like when you're gone"_

_Eraqus smiled gently and cupped her face. She looked so much like her mother that it scared him at times._

"_You'll never have to worry about that" he said._

"_Because I will always be with you…"_

_He pointed towards her heart._

"_In here. So no matter what happens to me, I'll always watch over you"_

/

Lumen placed a hand over her heart.

"_You'll always be with me" _she thought.

"_Are you here father? Have you seen what I let happen to our world?"_

She slowly stood up and held her father's keyblade tightly.

"_Please forgive me for letting this happen" _she pleaded.

"_I never wanted anything to happen to you or our world"_

She looked at the castle seriously. Now that her world was destroyed she needed to seal it up before anything else happened to it…before Xehanort could get to it.

"Let's go, Aqua" she said.

Aqua nodded and followed her inside the castle.

/

They decided to keep Ven in the throne room. It was where they were all were last time before this madness broke out and they felt Ven would be safe here. Even though Eraqus was gone, his presence still surrounded the area.

Aqua carefully placed Ven in Eraqus's throne and looked at Lumen.

"You know what to do"

Lumen looked at her father's keyblade then shook her head.

"I can't" she said weakly.

"Even though I'm the ruler of this world now I let it fall into ruins. I don't have what it takes to protect this world"

She held the keyblade out to Aqua.

"You do it, you're a master now so you should know what to do"

Aqua reached out for Eraqus's keyblade but had second thoughts on it.

"We'll do it together" she said.

"We both failed to protect this world so we should both be the ones to seal it up"

She held her hand out to Lumen.

"Besides, you're not alone in this"

Lumen looked at her hand for a moment before slowly nodding.

She was right. She thought that after everything she went through and losing so many loved ones that she was alone. But she was wrong; Aqua was still here and she was never leaving her side.

Giving her a weak smile and held Eraqus's keyblade out for both of them to hold.

"Let's do it together then"

They went behind Eraqus's throne and activated the device that would protect this world. When they saw a keyhole open up on the back of the chair they jammed the keyblade in and watched at the room transformed completely.

Everything turned white to the point that it hurt their eyes. Everything was so blank and empty that they felt that they would get lost in it.

They checked up on Ven and saw that he sat on a throne with chains coming out from it.

Aqua smiled weakly and knelt in front of him.

"I know it's a lonely place, but you'll be safe here" she said gently.

"Terra, Lumen and I will be back to wake you up before you know it"

Lumen looked away at the mention of Terra. It seemed that Aqua didn't know what happened to him.

Aqua stood up and looked at Lumen.

"We better go" she said.

"We need to find his heart"

Lumen nodded and watched as she left.

Lumen turned around and knelt in front of Ven. Even when he was asleep he still worried her to no end.

"You know you'll always be the death of me…but at least this time you won't run off to another world" she said softly.

She stroked his head like she always did when he was awake.

"It may take us a while, but Aqua and I will find Terra and then we'll find your heart" she said.

"So in the mean time, please have pleasant dreams and know that we'll be back for you"

She could have sworn that she saw Ven smirk but she figured that was in her head.

She stood up and gave Ven one final smile.

"I'll be seeing you Ventus" she said.

She turned around and walked out of the room and let Ven continue with his sleep.

/

With the castle sealed up, the world changed completely. The Land of Departure was long gone. In it's place was a castle that was full of mystery and illusions. A place that would have anyone become lost once they stepped into it.

Castle Oblivion.

Lumen and Aqua sadly looked at the castle knowing that their world was sealed up for good.

"I hope Ven will be safe here" Aqua said.

"I'm sure he will" Lumen said.

"Why else would my father come up with this trick?"

Just then she heard a voice in her head.

"_Lumen…run!"_

She gasped. That was Terra's voice.

Picking up his charm she looked at it. Was he calling out to her? Was he able to get off of the Keyblade Graveyard?

She looked at Aqua.

"I just heard Terra" she said.

"I think he's calling out to me"

Aqua looked surprised but grew serious.

"Where is he?" she asked.

Lumen shook her head.

"I don't know" she said.

"But my heart is telling me where he might be"

Aqua nodded.

"Let's go then" she said.

"If we find Terra then he can help us find Ven's heart"

Lumen nodded weakly and walked with her friend away from their world for what would be the last time.

She held Terra's charm close to her heart as she walked.

What did Terra mean when he told her to run? Did he know something that she didn't?

"_Terra…" _she thought.

"_What are you trying to tell me?"_

/

"Are we almost there?" Aqua asked.

Lumen nodded.

"Yes, I can feel it"

They both decided to ride on the same keyblade glider when they left their world. Since they were the only ones traveling they thought that this would be safe and easy. Plus they wouldn't have to worry about the other getting lost.

Aqua sat behind Lumen as she drove to their destination.

"How do you know where Terra is?" she asked.

Lumen shook her head as she looked forward.

"I don't know" she said.

"But my heart is telling me that I need to go this way"

She looked at her hand where her engagement ring rested. After what happened to Terra it almost felt like it was burning her skin. The man she loved with all her heart gave her this ring as a symbol of wanting her as his wife. But now that his body was taken over by Xehanort it felt as if it were just a figment of her imagination.

She bowed her head when she felt tears coming. She didn't understand how she was still able to cry but her heart was shattering into millions of pieces.

She was suffering so badly that she was starting to think that there was no hope left. That everything that she was fighting for was all for nothing.

"I thought I would be married by now" she said quietly.

Aqua looked at her but didn't say anything. She knew better than to talk when her friend was upset.

Lumen let out a shaky breath.

"I've lost so much in such a short time that I'm starting to wonder if there's any hope left in the worlds" she said.

"Everything that I fought for…everything that I believed in is simply falling apart. I've lost everything to the point that I don't have anything left"

Aqua reached over and gave her best friend a squeeze on the shoulder. It was true that she lost so much in such a short time. But she was wrong in thinking that she lost everything.

"You haven't lost everything" she said.

"True, Terra and Ven aren't here right now, but you still have me. I'll always be there for you and I promise to never leave your side. We're the only ones who can rescue Terra and Ven so that means we need to stick together. We're best friends and we will be until the end"

Lumen held back a sniffle as she heard this. Aqua always had a way with making others feel better. It made her happy knowing that she wasn't really alone. She didn't have Ven or Terra, but at least she had her best friend.

"Thank you, Aqua" she said.

Aqua nodded.

"You're my best friend and nothing will ever change that" she said.

Lumen chuckled and pushed forward towards their destination.

Terra was near and she could feel it.

/

It seemed that Terra brought them back to Radiant Garden. It had been a while since they were both here. The last time Lumen was here, Terra proposed to her.

She subconsciously touched her ring, hoping that moment wasn't a dream.

Aqua looked around the area, noticing that no one was around.

"Looks like everyone has turned in for the night" she said.

"I don't see anyone"

Lumen figured as much. The skies were dark showing that it was nighttime on this world. The area looked so dark that it almost felt that it was coated with darkness.

Her heart stopped when she realized something.

Hikari and Taiyouko were on this world. If something bad was coming then that meant they were in danger!

"Oh no!"

She ran down the steps that lead to the marketplace. She needed to get to them soon before something happened to them.

"Lumen, where are you going?" Aqua called out as she followed.

Lumen looked at her over her shoulder as she ran.

"I have to find Hikari" she said.

Aqua rasied an eyebrow.

"Hikari?" she repeated.

Lumen nodded.

"She's my successor" she explained.

"I sensed something powerful within her and made her my successor. Her mother Taiyouko even helped me out and convinced me to give Terra a second chance. I just feel like something bad is going to happen and I need to find them before they get hurt!"

Aqua thought about the young girl that she ran into named Kairi. She too formed a small connection with her and she feared that something might happen to the little girl as well.

"Let's hurry!" she cried.

They ran through the market place and tried to find the young souls that managed to wrap around their hearts.

/

When they ran into the main square they found someone that they never thought would be here.

Standing off in the middle of the square was none other than Terra. Or rather, what appeared to be Terra.

Lumen knew right away that it was Terra's body but it was controlled by Xehanort.

"_So he managed to get away from the graveyard as well" _she thought.

"_This is going to be bad"_

Aqua didn't realize the situation they were in and smiled.

"Look, Lumen. It's Terra!" she said.

"He managed to get away!"

She ran down to go see him. Lumen panicked and ran after her.

"Aqua ,wait! That's not Terra!"

But it was too late. When Aqua stood in front of 'Terra' he reached out and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground.

"Aqua!" Lumen cried.

Aqua struggled to breath as she looked at Terra. She realized that he looked different and that darkness was radiating off of him.

"T-Terra?" chocked out.

'Terra' gave her an emotionless stare.

"Who…am I?" he asked.

Lumen's breath hitched. So Xehanort lost his memories.

Aqua realized what was going on now and panicked.

"Such a terrible… darkness…" she rasped.

"Fight it, Terra! Please!"

'Terra' looked confused at the name.

"Terra?"

Just then, something within his head started to throb. It was as if someone was trying to push him out. The pain caused him to let go of Aqua and grab his head. As he was, Lumen ran over to Aqua and pulled her away from him.

She could have sworn that she sense Terra just then. It seemed that he was still trying to fight for his body back. Could it be that he was still there now?

"Terra!" she cried.

"Can you hear me?"

'Terra' pulled his hands away from his face and smiled darkly.

"Terra's heart has been extinguished- smothered by the darkness within him"

He summoned his keyblade and slammed it down to where they were only to have them jump out of the way.

Lumen had a grim look on her face. So it seemed that Xehanort remembered everything. That meant he would be after her heart next.

She summoned her keyblade. She couldn't let him win. She couldn't let him take her heart. She had to save Terra and Ven.

Aqua summoned her keyblade at the same time and had a serious look on her face. She too wanted to save Terra and she was going to help Lumen out.

"My name is Master Aqua" she declared.

"And I'm Lady Lumen" Lumen said. Since Eraqus was gone, she had taken his title.

Aqua aimed her keyblade at Xehanort.

"Return my friend's heart or pay the price!"

Xehanort just laughed and launched at them.

Aqua flipped out of the way while Lumen blocked him with her keyblade. She glared daggers at him as she tried to fend him off.

"Give me back my fiancée's body!" she hissed.

Xehanort just laughed darkly at her.

"Your heart will be mine!"

Lumen threw him off and dodged his attacks. He proved to be just as strong as he was at the keyblade graveyard. He would land devastating attacks and would hit them over and over to where they wouldn't have time to block.

It was hard for Lumen to fight. Half of it was because Xehanort was so strong but the other half was because this was Terra's body and she didn't want to harm it. She needed to bring his body back to his soul in order for him to be whole again.

'_Don't worry, Terra" _she thought.

"_You saved me back at the Graveyard so now it's my turn to save you" _

The fight continued on and only got worse for Lumen and Aqua. During the battle, Xehanort summoned his dark shadow and had it sneak up on them and tried to take a swipe at them. They couldn't stay in one place, fearing that they would be hit. At one point, Lumen tripped over an up turned stone and tripped.

A dark circle surrounded her, meaning Xehanort's shadow was going to get her. Aqua panicked and threw her out of the way.

"Look out Lumen!"

When she threw her out of the way, she got caught by the shadow instead. Lumen watched in horror as it tried to strangle her.

"Aqua!" she cried.

Xehanort laughed at the scene.

"See? You're just as powerless at Terra! Now you'll have to watch as your friend dies!"

Lumen watched as Aqua struggled. She couldn't let her die like this. She was all she had left now. If she died, she would be all alone.

She clenched her fists in anger when she realized just how weak she really was. She let everyone that she loved get hurt by Xehanort. Everyone suffered because Xehanort was after her.

All of the negative energy that she had bottled up within her overpowered her. All the anger, sadness and despair that she felt until now came fourth as she unleashed her powers.

"NOOOOOO!"

Thousands of chains sprang fourth from her and wrapped around the whole area. They wrapped around the dark shadow and released Aqua while they wrapped around Xehanort to the point he couldn't move. Xehanort struggled but laughed like a maniac.

"This power…" he laughed.

"This is the power that I have sought all these years! This is the power that will give me Kingdom Hearts!"

Lumen summoned her keyblade and aimed it at him.

"You're never going to get it" she hissed.

Just then, a light surrounded Xehanort. The evil keyblade master yelled when he realized what it was.

"Stop fighting back!" he barked at no one in particular.

Lumen wondered what was going on when she realized where that light was coming from.

"Terra!" she cried.

Terra was here! He was trying to fight back.

Lowering her guard, she ran towards Xehanort. If Terra was trying to gain control of his body, she was going to help.

"Terra! Hang on I'm coming!"

She could hear Terra's voice in her head once more.

"_Lumen, run!"_

But his plea would never reach her. With her control over the chains weakening, Xehanort smirked darkly and broke away from his bonds and summoned his keyblade.

"You're mine!"

He thrust his keyblade forward and stabbed Lumen in the chest. Everything seemed to slow down as Lumen felt herself get stabbed in the heart.

Aqua screamed in horror at the sight.

"LUMEN!" she screamed.

Lumen looked at the keyblade that was in her chest then at the blood that was starting to form around it.

Xehanort laughed at the sight. After all this time he was finally going to get the heart that could bring Kingdom Hearts together.

"At last, your heart is finally mine" he said.

Lumen watched as her heart started to leave her body. She could already feel her life leaving her as she watched it slowly float towards Xehanort.

"_Is this how it's going to end?"_ She thought.

"_After everything We've done…after everything we've fought for…this is how I meet my end?"_

She thought back on her dreams and how she would be the one to bring everything back together.

"_No! I can't let it end like this! Not yet!"_

Summoning her keyblade, she did the only thing that would protect her heart from Xehanort.

Letting out an anguish cry, she slammed her keyblade into her heart and watched as it broke into pieces.

Xehanort watched in horror when he saw Lumen's heart turn into four small spheres of light.

"No!" he cried.

Lumen fell to the ground as she clenched her chest. With her heart removed from her body she wasn't going to last long and fall into a deep sleep.

She couldn't let that happen. She had to protect her heart from Xehanort so he couldn't use it for Kingdom Hearts. And she knew just the people to hide it.

She looked at Aqua weakly and reached out a shaking hand.

"Aq…ua" she said weakly.

Part of her heart floated towards where Lumen was pointing towards and emerged itself into Aqua's chest.

Aqua had tears in her eyes when she felt part of Lumen's heart merge with hers.

"Lumen" she chocked.

Xehanort continued to struggle with Terra as he tried to regain control. He was furious that he lost the heart that would connect Kingdom Hearts.

In his angry, he picked up his keyblade and aimed it at his heart.

"This will teach you" he hissed.

"Get out of my body!"

He stabbed himself in the chest and watched as Terra's heart left him.

"Terra!" Aqua cried.

Lumen watched from her crumpled, weaken position as a dark portal emerged from the ground underneath him. Xehanort slowly fell backward and fell through the portal, letting it suck him up.

Aqua panicked and went to grab him. She needed his body in order to save Terra. She had to do this for Lumen. She looked at Lumen and saw her slowly lose control over her broken heart.

She too would follow the same fate as Ven.

"Hang in there, Lumen!" she cried.

"I'll bring Terra back! Don't give up on me!"

Lumen smiled weakly and watched as Aqua dove into the portal just as it was about to close up.

She didn't know how Aqua was going to get back, but she prayed that she would be alright.

"_Please let part of my heart protect you" _she thought.

She looked at the three remaining pieces of her heart sadly. She never thought that this would be her fate but somehow she had a feeling it would.

The words in her dreams made sense now.

**In order to link everything together, the chains must be broken.**

**However, to make a chain whole, you must gather all of the pieces.**

**A broken chain makes a whole chain.**

Lumen chuckled weakly.

"So that's what it means" she rasped.

"_The only way we can all be together again is if I'm brought together again._ _The chains of my heart have been broken in order to save my friends, but in order to put them back together, we all need to return to each other"_

She slowly reached for Terra's charm and squeezed it as tightly as she could.

"_It really is an unbreakable connection" _

She looked at the remaining pieces of her heart and let two of them float out of her hand. She didn't need to worry about where they were going. They were going to reach the connections that they created with.

"_Aqua…I don't know how or when you'll return here…but I know that we'll always be together even when we're far apart. We'll always be best friends no matter how much time goes by. Ven…I'm sorry to leave you like this, but it looks like I'll be sleeping for a while too. I hope I can see you in my dreams and then we'll go on adventures like we did when we were awake. Terra…"_

A tear ran down her face as she thought of her beloved.

"_Terra…I'm sorry I couldn't get your body back. I really tried, but I guess I was too weak. Please forgive me and my foolishness"_

She looked at her engagement ring and let out a sob.

"_I really, really wanted to marry you. I was so happy when you asked me to be you wife. I know you made a lot of mistakes in the past, but I forgive you for them. I don't know how long it'll be until we see each other again or how much time passes…but just know that I will always love you and that you are the only one that I've ever loved"_

She weakly held the last part of her heart to her chest. She felt her strength leaving her fast and pulling her into a deep sleep. She had to stay awake. She had to be strong. She had to find one more person that she can trust to protect her heart.

"_Who can I trust with the final piece of my heart?" _she thought.

"_Who will be the one that will bring us all together again?"_

/

Yen Sid closed his eyes gravely when he felt Lumen's presence slowly vanishing. He feared that this would happen, but he prayed that it wouldn't.

The strong, powerful, legendary keyblade master let a tear fall from his eyes as he thought about the daughter of his dear friends.

"_Eraqus…Serenity" _he pleaded.

"_Please forgive me for not protecting your daughter"_

He looked at the sky with anger in his eyes.

"_I hope you're happy…Xehanort"_

/

In Castle Oblivion, Ven continued to rest in his throne. Even though he was in a deep sleep, he knew what happened to Aqua and Terra.

A small orb of light floated into the room and hovered near Ven's chest. The part of Lumen's heart hovered over him in a comforting matter before submerging itself into his chest.

Ven could see and feel the events that happened to Lumen up to this point.

In his sleep, a tear ran down his face as he sensed the loss of his dear friend.

"Lumen"

/

In the Keyblade Graveyard, Terra's armor knelt before his keyblade. He vowed to remain there until he could find a way to return to his friends and Lumen.

He didn't know how or when that would happen. All he knew was that he had to believe.

He lifted his head when he sensed something approaching him. A small ball of light floated from the sky and landed in front of him.

Curious, Terra lifted his hand out to the light and watched as it went into his chest.

What he felt and saw tore his already broken heart into pieces. He could sense Lumen's presence throughout his being. It was as if she was right here with him.

But that wasn't possible. He watched her leave this world; he made sure of it.

She was suppose to be safe…unless.

"_This light…is it…"_

Cold dread washed throughout his body when he realized his fears came true.

Lumen was gone.

Despair engulfed his being as he thought of that.

"_No…no! Lumen, no!"_

He let out an anguish cry to the sky.

"XEHANORT!"

He slammed his fists into the ground. Even though his body was gone, he still felt his soul cry. His armor shook as he cried silent tears for his beloved.

The woman that was his reason for living was gone. He would never see her again or hear her angelic voice. He would never get the chance to hold her in his arms and show her just how much he loved her.

His reason for living vanished. All that remained was the lingering feelings of the one person who made his life complete.

Slowly, he returned to his original position in front of his keyblade. Lumen was gone and all that remained of her was the feelings that she left for him.

The worse part of it was that he knew it was his fault this happened.

He hung his head in shame, never wanting to forgive himself for what he did to his fiancé.

"_Forgive me…Lumen"_

/

In Radiant Garden, Taiyouko and Ienzo were heading back home. Since it was so late they felt that it was time to go home and have a nice hot meal.

Ienzo looked up at his sister as he gave her hand a slight squeeze.

"Onee-chan, can I stay at your house tonight?" he asked.

Since it was just the two of them, that meant he would talk. He never talked to anyone really except his sister. His sister was the only person he could trust.

"Father is still busy in his labs and I don't want to stay home alone again"

Taiyouko forced a smile on her face while she was screaming in her head. She always hated it when her father put his work before his family. He did this to her when she was little, he shouldn't be doing it to her brother.

She decided to be the better parent and take matters into her own hands.

"Of course you can" she said.

"I'm sure Leon and Hikari will be very happy that you're staying over. You guys can have your own slumber party"

Even though Ienzo was technically Leon and Hikari's uncle, he still had fun playing with them. He was a kid after all.

"Yay!"

He looked over at the court area in the center of the town and spotted someone on the ground. He recognize the person as the girl that his sister helped out earlier and knew something was wrong.

"Onee-chan, look!"

Taiyouko looked where he was pointing at and gasped in horror when she saw it was Lumen.

"Oh my goodness!"

She quickly ran over to where Lumen was and skidded to the ground. Carefully ,she picked her up and had her lean against her shoulder.

Lumen felt her strength nearly leaving her completely when she saw Taiyouko. She couldn't help the weak smile form on her face when she saw the person who became dear to her in such a short time.

Even now she was trying to save her.

"Tai…youko" she said weakly.

Taiyouko felt tears form in her eyes when she saw the condition Lumen was in. She looked like she was about to die.

"Oh, Lumen" she said.

"Who did this to you?"

Lumen struggled to gain control. She needed to warn someone about what was happening. She needed to warn about Xehanort.

"Xeha…Xehan…"

Taiyouko quickly shook her head.

"Save your strength" she said.

"I'm going to help you"

Lumen chuckled weakly and shook her head.

"It's…too late" she rasped.

"I don't…have much strength left"

She looked at the last part of her heart.

"I must..warn you…about something" she said.

"Kingdom Hearts…beware of Kingdom Hearts…"

Taiyouko looked at her friend with confusion.

"Kingdom Hearts?" she repeated.

"Yes…" Lumen said.

"The final door…the heart of all worlds…it must never be open…if it is…all the worlds…will be…in danger"

Taiyouko gulped.

"The worlds?"

Lumen nodded.

"I haven't…much time left…" she whispered.

"I wanted…to do so much…I wanted…to keep the worlds…safe…"

She held her heart tightly, fearing that it would let go any second.

"_I don't have enough strength left" _she thought.

"_I need to give my heart to someone, but I don't know who"_

She heard a very familiar voice in her head. The same voice that she heard in her dreams.

**Hey…can you hear me?**

Lumen gasped when she heard that voice. She finally realized who that voice belonged to. It was the one who was by her side this whole time. The one she entrusted her future to.

"_Hikari…"_

Tears of happiness spilled from her eyes. After all this time, she finally realized who was calling out to her this whole time.

"_It was you" _she thought.

"_All this time, you were reaching out to me. You were trying to help me"_

Realizing she had one more person she could trust, she slowly let go of her heart and let it float away. She felt her vision go hazy when she saw her heart vanish. It would probably be a while until she would wake up, but at least she knew that her heart was in safe hands.

"_My hopes…my dreams…they're yours now, Hikari" _she thought.

"_You'll be my living legacy"_

She looked at Taiyouko and smiled weakly. Even though she was going into a deep sleep, she was glad that she was with a dear friend in the end.

"Taiyouko" she said, weakly.

She reached out and touched her face.

"Thank you…for everything"

As she said that, her eyes slowly closed for good and put her into a deep sleep. Her hand fell from Taiyouko's face and dropped to the ground.

Lumen, the keyblade wielder was no more.

Taiyouko held back the sobs that formed into her throat.

"Oh, Lumen" she said.

She pressed her cheek on top of Lumen's head and stroked her hair in a motherly way.

Ienzo felt a tear fall down his face as well. Even though he didn't know Lumen well, it was still sad to see this happen to her.

"O-onee-chan…" he asked.

"Is she…dead?"

Taiyouko wiped her eyes and shook her head.

"No…she's just…sleeping" she said.

"And it might be quite a while before she wakes up"

Ienzo wiped his eyes.

"What should we do then?" he asked.

Taiyouko thought for a moment before her face grew serious.

"We need to keep her safe" she said.

"Somewhere that no one can reach her"

She suddenly stood up with Lumen in her arms.

"Come on, Ienzo" she said.

"I know where we can keep safe"

Ienzo quickly followed his sister away from the area and into the more rural area of town.

Even though Lumen was deep within sleep, a small smile graced her face as she sent out a small prayer to her successor.

"_Hikari…please be strong. Please succeed where I have failed. I have lost so much and made so many mistakes. Please be the one who will fix all of the mistakes that I have made. Be everything that I could never be. I was never able to obtain my happy ending…but I hope that you will obtain it in my place. The worlds are in danger from the darkness, so be their ray of hope. Please fight on, even when the odds are against you. Please don't give up hope like I almost did. And lastly…please…please…be the one who will bring us all back together again"_

With that, she put all of her hopes and dreams on the young girl who managed to etch her way into her heart.

Even though Lumen's journey came to an end, it was the beginning of Hikari's.

/

**A/N: And with that, that was the final chapter to Memories by Sleep. I have to admit, I feel like the bad person for making Lumen's fate end like this. I think it was way worse than Terra, Aqua or Ven's. I was crying when I wrote this chapter, but I knew it needed to be done. Lumen's fate will trigger Hikari's future. Her pain is Hikari's motivation. **

**We only have the epilogue and the blank points after this, so please review if you want to see them!  
><strong> 

**Thank you all again! **

**Ja ne!**


	24. Epilogue

Epilogue

**A/N: And so, we've reached the end to this tragic story. All of our brave heroes have been separated and the only way they can be together again is if someone saves them. Who will that brave soul be? Who will be the one who will fight the odds and bring Terra and Lumen together again?**

**I want to thank you all for sticking to the end with this story and reviewing. I know it probably wasn't my best work since Hikari wasn't involved a lot but it did explain a lot of things about her including her role in the future battles. **

**Thanks again for everything you guys! You're the reason that I keep continuing with these stories!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

Deep within the realm of darkness, Aqua struggled down a low, winding path. In order to save Terra's body and bring it back to the realm of light, she had to stay back within the realm of darkness. It was a noble sacrifice but one that came with a heavy price. She had no way of returning and had to find another way out of the world of evil and despair.

She had been walking for what felt like hours. Everything looked the same; not a single thing looked different as she continued on.

She almost felt like she was walking in circles at this point.

"Seems like I've been walking for ages" she said to herself.

"How long have I been down here?"

As she was walking, a giant dark shadow appeared along her path. Aqua quickly reacted and summoned Eraqus's keyblade. When she sent Terra to the realm of light, she used her armor and keyblade to take him back. The only thing that she could summon now was her late master's weapon.

Three more dark shadows appeared and surrounded Aqua, making sure that she didn't escape.

Aqua looked at them for a moment, then hung her head in defeat. There was no way that she could take on these massive creatures all by herself and at the same time. She had been fighting for so long that she was starting to weaken.

Lowering her keyblade in defeat, she waited for the dark shadows to destroy her. What was the point of continuing on when she lost all of her friends?

A speck of light shone through the darkness and impaled into one of the shadows. The light zipped around Aqua and destroyed the other shadows.

Aqua gasped when she saw that the light was Terra and Ven's keyblades. Even though they weren't with her, they were still protecting her.

A warm light glowed within Aqua's chest. She placed her hand over her heart and heard Lumen's voice in her head.

"_Don't give up, Aqua. I'm right here"_

Aqua smiled softly as she heard her best friend's voice. Even though she was in a deep sleep, she could still talk to her. As long as she protected the fraction of her heart that she carried, she would always have Lumen with her.

She quickly realized that she was smiling and touched her lips. Ever since she came to this realm of darkness, all she ever did was frown.

"I guess it's been so long, I almost forgot to smile" she said.

She pulled out her good luck charm and looked at it.

Images of all the friends she created from her travels as well as Terra, Lumen and Ven flashed through her head. They reminded her that she couldn't give up and that they were depending on her to return to them.

She smiled softly and held her charm tightly.

"There's always a way"

/

In Radiant Garden, Ansem the Wise followed Braig to a spot that he said he found someone.

"Right this way" Braig said.

Ansem brought Dilain with him in case something came up as they followed the head guard. When Briag brought them to the spot, Ansem saw that a man was unconscious.

The man was none other than Xehanort.

He quickly went over to him and helped him up so he wasn't on the ground.

"Young man, what ails you?" he asked.

Xehanort groaned as he opened his eyes.

When he released Terra's heart it seemed he released his memories of himself.

Ansem watched as Xehanort tried to process everything that was going on.

"Can you speak? What's your name?"

Xehanort groaned and looked at him.

"Xeha…nort" he rasped.

"Xehanort" Ansem repeated slowly.

Braig smiled darkly, knowing that his master's plans were a success.

Xehanort passed out in Ansem's arms after he said his name. Ansem looked at Dilan and Briag.

"Quickly, get him to the castle!" he ordered.

"You can count on me" Braig said.

He picked Xehanort up and looked at Dilan.

"Dilan, get those for me"

He motioned to Aqua's forgotten armor that was left behind. The armor that brought Terra's body back.

Braig smirked darkly as he brought Xehanort back to the castle. Everything was going according to plan. The only problem was that one vital piece was missing.

"_Now where did Lumen run off to?"_

/

Deep within the crystal caves of Radiant Garden, Taiyouko and Ienzo stood in front of an empty cave. They wanted to be as far away from the castle as they possibly could. They had to if they wanted to protect Lumen.

Taiyouko adjusted her grip on Lumen's body and gave Ienzo a serious look.

"Ienzo…" she said.

"What you're about to see, you must never tell anyone about. Not even to father"

Ienzo gulped as he heard that. He never kept anything from their father before. The fact that his sister was telling him to do this meant it was really important.

"If fewer people know then the better" Taiyouko continued.

"We need to keep her safe until we can find her heart, ok?"

Ienzo looked at his sister and nodded. He didn't like keeping things from his father, but this was the first time that Taiyouko ever asked him to do something for her. He trusted his sister completely and he would help her no matter what.

"Yes, Onee-chan" he said.

Taiyouko smiled before she looked at the cave.

Stepping forward, she carefully placed Lumen down.

"I'm sorry you have to be here, but this is the only place I can think of that will keep you safe" she said softly.

She placed Terra's good luck charm into her hands like a rosary. She almost looked like she was dead this way but Lumen could see her breathing still.

Taking a step back, she clasped her hands together and chanted a powerful spell.

Lumen's body glowed as the spell was wrapped around her. The cave grew bright as they spell surrounded everything. When the light died, Lumen's body was encased in crystal as well as everything within the cave.

After this day, the cave would be known as the chamber of remorse.

Ienzo went up to the crystal like coffin and looked at Lumen.

"What do we do now, Onee-chan?" he asked.

Taiyouko placed her hand on his shoulder.

"We'll seal this cave up so no one can get to it. Only you and I will be the only ones to enter it" she said.

"And in the meantime, we'll search for Lumen's heart. It may take a while since it's been broken into tiny pieces, but I'm sure we'll figure it out"

She lowered her head sadly. Even though she hadn't known Lumen long, she thought of her as a friend.

"She saved Hikari's life…now it's my turn to repay the favor and save her" she muttered.

She placed her hand on the crystal casket that Lumen slept on and gave her a gentle smile.

"It may take a while but I'll always protect you" she said.

"So in the meantime, please rest well"

She could sense Lumen thanking her and smiled.

Looking up at the sky she thought about what was to come in the future.

"A new journey is about to begin"

/

Even though Terra, Aqua, Lumen and Ven were gone, the acts they did were known throughout the worlds.

Even though the worlds would one day be engulfed by the darkness they still made the most of each day.

That was the gift that Terra, Aqua , Lumen and Ven left them so they were going to treasure it.

/

At Disney Castle, Hewey, Dewey and Louie were on the race track and fighting to win first place. They pushed their airplanes to the max as they neared the finish line.

Queen Minnie, Horace, Pluto, and Chip and Dale cheered on as they watched the triplets played.

They were happy to know that their dream festival was going on with no indecent.

And it was thanks to their foreign friends for keeping it that way.

/

In Enchanted Dominion, Princess Aurora danced with Prince Philip in the dance hall. With the spell removed from the Kingdom, they could live happily ever after.

The three fairies watched as their princess danced with her prince, but Flora and Merryweather got into a heated battle as they changed Aurora's dress from Pink to Blue. The princess didn't seem to mind and continued to dance with her prince.

Outside of the castle, Maleficent smiled at it darkly and turned away from it. As she went through a dark portal, she started to form her plans of capturing the princesses of heart.

/

At the Castle of Dreams, Cinderella was able to reunite with the prince and live happily ever after with him.

As they danced in the ballroom like they did in the ball, her fairy godmother shot off fireworks to add the magic to the night.

/

In the Dwarf Woodlands, the seven dwarves went into the meadow where Snow White stood with her prince.

They surrounded the couple and threw flowers up in the air celebrating the happy occasion.

Snow White and the Prince smiled happily when they saw how much their friends cared about them.

/

In Radiant Garden, Lea and Isa were once again thrown out of the castle by Dilan. The guard literally threw them out and crossed his arms in annoyance.

"For the last time, stay out!" he barked.

Lea glared at him and just walked off. He would get into the castle again soon.

The two friends went to the market area and bought some ice cream from Scrooge McDuck and ate their frozen treat in silence.

Lea looked up at the sky to see that it was getting dark and noticed a crescent moon peeking its way into the sky.

He smirked slightly as he looked at it.

"Sure is a pretty moon tonight" he muttered.

And it would be a pretty moon later on for him in his life.

/

In Olympus Coliseum, Phil continued to train Hercules.

Even though the tournament was over, Hercules was still a long way to becoming a hero.

Phil coached him on as the boy continued to do push-ups.

Zack leaned against the building and watched Hercules train. When he sensed someone behind him, he turned around to look.

He went to gasp, but all of the sudden he was gone.

All that was left of his place was a single black feather.

/

In Deep Space, Experiment 626 managed to get away from the space ship and was in a stolen police car.

As he drove his stolen vehicle to a new world, he picked up the good luck charm that Lumen made him. He was still trying to understand what friendship meant, but he was sure to figure it out.

He played with his charm as his ship brought him to the planet Earth.

/

In Neverland, the lost boys brought back the treasure they created with Ven and Lumen to their secret hideout.

They would keep it safe until they were able to come back to add more to it.

While they were putting their treasure away, Captain Hook was spying on them, waiting to steal their treasure.

His plot was ruined when Peter Pan took his hat away and humiliated him in front of the lost boys.

Captain Hook brandishes his hook, vowing to defeat Peter Pan once and for all.

/

At Yen Sid's tower, Donald and Goofy sadly watched as King Mickey gave his keyblade to his master.

After the events that happened and the fates that his new friends had to suffer, he felt that he didn't deserve the keyblade.

He went to leave to head back to Disney Castle, but Yen Sid had other ideas.

He stood from his desk and went over to Mickey to give him his keyblade back. With the events that had just recently happened he knew that they would need all of the keyblade wielders they could get. Mickey was the only one who knew about what happened to Terra, Aqua, Lumen and Ven and only he could help them.

Mickey looked happy that he was able to get his keyblade back and held it proudly.

/

On the Destiny Islands Sora and Riku were heading back home after a long day of playing. They still had fun playing with Lumen and hoped she would stop by to play soon.

As Riku was heading for his home, he stopped when he sensed something. It was as if someone he knew suddenly vanished.

He looked up at the night sky and saw four sets of stars twinkling next to each other.

Terra, Aqua, Lumen and Ven's stars.

As he looked up at the stars, he could have sworn he heard Terra's voice.

"_Keep her safe"_

He wouldn't know who 'she' was until a certain meteor shower would come and bring a little girl to their shores.

/

When Hikari opened her eyes she found herself standing in the Station of Awakening.

Everywhere she looked she saw darkness. She looked around and saw the silhouette of a boy her age standing a little ways off.

She went to go see who the boy was, but before she could reach him, he disappeared. All she got of the boy was that he had silver hair and aquamarine eyes.

**Love is still a million miles away.**

Hikari looked up and saw a small ball of light floating towards her. She smiled and waved towards it, showing it was ok to come to her.

"Hey, can you hear me?" she called out.

The final piece to Lumen's heart floated towards Hikari. This girl would be the key to bring everyone that she loved back together again.

As she grew closer, she could sense the positive energy that the little girl was giving off.

One day, this girl was going to change the fate of the worlds.

"_**I heard your voice. It cut through the darkness around me" **_she said.

Hikari held her hands up and let Lumen's heart rest within them.

"_**I almost thought that hope was lost, that I would never see the ones I loved ever again…but then I heard you calling out to me. You gave me hope when I thought it was too late. You became my ray of light"**_

Hikari tilted her head.

"I did?"

"_**Yes…but I'm afraid I have to go to sleep for a while"**_

Hikari looked at Lumen's heart sadly.

"You sound sad" she said.

"Are you ok?"

Lumen chuckled a little.

"_**No, just a little…lonely. Would it be ok…if I stayed with you for a tiny bit?"**_

Hikari smiled brightly at the thought of helping someone.

"Of course you can!" she said.

"If you're with me, I'll make sure you're never lonely again! We'll have lots of fun and do things where you won't have to think about being lonely. We'll be best friends!"

Lumen's heart glowed with happiness.

"_**Thank you…maybe this is why…I made you my successor"**_

Her heart went into Hikari's chest and merged with her heart. Even though she would be asleep and couldn't help with the events that would unfold in the future, she would always protect Hikari from danger.

This was the least she could do for the girl who saved her in the end.

Hikari placed her hands over her heart and smiled contently. She was glad that she was able to help someone out.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing next to her brother.

Leon looked at her when she turned to him.

"Well?" he asked.

Hikari smiled brightly.

"I think it worked, Ni-san" she said.

Leon smiled contently.

"That' s good to hear"

The two siblings looked at the star filled sky and looked at the four set of stars that twinkled.

Hikari smiled contently as she placed her hand over her heart.

"I'll protect you, no matter what" she whispered.

As she looked up at the stars, she saw a shooting star pass by.

_In time, the worlds would be saved by this brave princess who stood underneath the same blaze of stars._

/

**A/N: And indeed Hikari would. Thanks again for sticking with me guys! I'll try to get the blank points up soon!**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	25. Blank Points

Blank Points

**A/N: Here is the FINAL chapter to this story. This will be the last time that we'll see Lumen for a while, so it's sadly time to say goodbye. But on the upside, we'll be seeing Hikari again every soon.**

**Thank you all so, so much for sticking to the end of this story! You guys rock!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

_**Hidden Truths**_

Deep within Terra's heart, Terra and Xehanort were fighting for control. Xehanort wanted to win so he could have a new body to use while Terra fought to regain his body and find Lumen.

Even though he could sense her presence was gone, he knew that she was still out there. He had part of her heart to prove it.

Xehanort knew also and he needed to find the other pieces in order to gain control of the Chains of Light.

"Darkness rules your heart-it gives me control" he said.

"Muscle and sinew that once obeyed you now rebels against you. How you can remain here at all confounds the mind"

Terra smirked darkly. He knew why he still had control. It was because he still had something worth living for and he wasn't going to let Xehanort take it away.

"It's still my heart" he said.

"You think you can just come in and take over? I'm not gonna sit by and let that happen"

Xehanort just chuckled.

"Hmph. Don't even entertain such notions of escaping me, boy" he said.

"Your heart will be engulfed by mine forever"

Terra shook his head. His heart would never belong to him. It always has and always will belong to the one whom he cared the most.

Lumen.

"You're gonna get shown the door, old man" he said.

Xehanort just sneered.

"As I recall, you couldn't even handle your own darkness" he said.

"How, the, will you triumph over mine?"

Terra just smirked calmly as if he already knew what was going to happen.

"You'll find out soon enough" he said.

Xehanort wonder what he meant by that, but suddenly sensed another presence within Terra's heart.

"Oh, so that's how it is, isn't it?" he muttered.

"Someone else has stepped foot into your heart. Eraqus, you sly fox…"

Terra looked at him.

"I'm not afraid of what the darkness hold now" he said.

"Even if you wrest control of my heart from me-even if you cast me into the deepest, darkest abyss-you'll never sway me from the one cause that pushes me to keep on fighting"

That cause was something only Terra would know and keep to himself.

It was the cause to see Lumen again.

He gave Xehanort a proud smirk.

"Whatever the cost…I'm ready to pay" he declared.

Xehanort just laughed.

"Brave words, to be sure" he said.

"But I'm a patient man. We can take as much time as we need to settle this little property dispute. However, know this-you are just one of the many roads that I might choose to take. Trust me, I made certain of that"

Terra glared at him.

"_You'll never win"_

/

_**Image of their backs, preserved by memories**_

In the castle of Radiant Garden, the young Xehanort walked through the halls of the castle. He had become Ansem the Wise's apprentice so he could try to regain his memories.

As he was walking, Braig came up to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey, Master!"

Xehanort gave Braig a dull glare. Braig just gave him a mock hurt look.

"Oh, c'mon, you don't even know your pal?" he asked.

"Please tell the amnesia was just a sick joke. Boy, this is some cliché"

Xehanort went to pull away but Braig held him back. The guard studied him for a moment.

"Hey, you're not…Terra?"

When Xehanort didn't say anything, he just shrugged.

"Just gotta check" he said.

He patted Xehanort on the back for good measure.

As they were walking, Ansem the Wise and Ienzo were off on a little stroll as they ate ice cream. Ienzo kept his promise to his sister and never mentioned about Lumen to anyone. It was hard for him but he knew he could do it.

Taiyouko came around the corner to go speak to her father about something. It was rare that she ever talked to her father, but this was something she couldn't avoid.

As she was walking, she bumped passed Xehanort who was walking the other way.

"Sorry" she muttered.

Xehanort turned his head as he watched her leave while Taiyouko looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

That mere bump would change the fate of their lives.

/

_**Two who were never meant to meet**_

After the events that happened at the World that Never was, Ansem the Wise found himself in the realm of darkness. The explosion from his device transported him here where he was stuck in this world of darkness.

His memory was foggy thanks to the explosion, but he could clearly remember certain parts of his life. Memories of Sora, Riku and Hikari fighting to save the worlds were obvious but the memories of his beloved daughter were clear as a bell. He still regretted to this day of being a horrible father to her and hoped that one day she would forgive him.

As he was looking out to the once someone approached him.

After all these years, Aqua was still trapped within the realm of darkness. She hadn't aged at all thanks to the different timeline this world had.

She went over to Ansem in surprise. She never expected someone to be in this world either.

She stood in front of him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Ansem looked surprised, but smiled slightly.

"Why, hello. It's not often that I get visitors"

Aqua smiled weakly.

"Please, call me Aqua" she said.

"Why are you sitting here alone in the realm of darkness? How did you end up here?"

Ansem looked at the ocean in thought.

"Well…I can tell you that this is my second time to these shores" he said.

"But unfortunately, much like the first, I do not recall who I am or whence I came. Everything was washed away in whatever currents carried me here"

Aqua looked at the ground sadly.

"That's too bad" she said.

She sat down on the sand and watched the waves wash up.

"I know I've been here a long time, wandering through the endless hours…unable to escape… " she said.

Ansem looked at her.

"You wish to return to your world?" he asked.

Aqua nodded.

"To fulfill a promise to my friends" she said quietly.

Ansem mulled over her words.

"Friends" he repeated.

"Somewhere in the scraps of my memory I have left, you remind me of a boy and girl that I once knew. They are very much like you-true to their friends, and kind. These children traveled to many worlds and fought to keep the light safe"

Aqua looked at him.

"Keep the light safe?" she asked.

"I've been away too long. Did something happen out there? Are the worlds in danger?"

Ansem nodded.

"Sad to say, they nearly fell to darkness more than once" he said.

"But at every turn, those children arrived with keyblade at hand to save the day"

Aqua gasped as she heard that.

Keyblade? Did that mean that her friends were out there? Were they alright?

"Wait a sec…was the boy's name Terra or Ven?" she asked.

Ansem shook his head.

"I'm afraid not"

Aqua looked at the ground sadly then back at Ansem. If not the boy, what of the girl?

"What about the girl? What her name Lumen by any chance?"

Ansem once again shook his head.

"The name does not ring a bell" he said.

Aqua gripped her chest. Now that she thought about it, how could Lumen be awake? She had part of her heart with her.

"Should have known" she said sadly.

The two of them looked at the ocean before Ansem spoke up again.

"How long has it been since I met them?" he wondered.

"At least a year now, perhaps more…back then, my heart was clouded with vengeance. I did terrible things…to both them and their friends…including someone precious to me. I brought unhappiness to more lives than one. I felt something must be done. Was that why? A means to clear my conscience? Or perhaps out of a scholarly instinct? While the boy and girl slept their long sleep, I hid the results of my research inside them, transplanting the data to where it might best serve a purpose. In fact, I would like to believe…maybe they can set things right. A boy and girl like them who touches so many hearts-they could open the right door, and save all those people whose lives I managed to ruin"

He looked up at the night sky.

"So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep" he said.

"Even me…and even you"

Aqua looked up at him hopefully.

"What was the boy's name?" she asked.

Ansem bowed his head.

"His name is Sora" he said.

Aqua gasped. She remembered Sora from her travels. The little boy she made a promise to.

"And…and the girl?"

Ansem raised his head to the sky.

"Her name is…."

/

_**All the pieces lie where they fell**_

In the abandon mansion in Twilight Town, Namine sat in her room and drew. She smiled brightly when she finished her drawing and held it up see a familiar girl looking at the ocean.

"Hikari…."

/

At the clock tower, Roxas, Ankoku, Xion, Axel and Tsukiko ate their sea salt ice cream and watched the sunset.

Xion smiled before she looked at the sky. Roxas and Ankoku did the same thing.

"Hikari…"

/

In the realm of dreams where loved ones could reunite with one another, Lumen found herself sleeping by her favorite bench on her home world. She smiled contently as she dreamed of something happy when she felt someone brush their hand across her cheek.

She fluttered her eyes open to see Terra smiling gently over her with Ven close by.

Lumen smiled and sat up in her seat.

The three of them looked at the stars with hope as they thought of the one girl who would bring them back together again.

"Hikari…."

/

Back in the realm of darkness, Aqua had tears in her eyes as she heard who the girl was. Even though she never met her, she knew who she was thanks to the connection they shared through Lumen's heart.

She was able to see the things she did and felt the emotions she felt. The fact that this girl would be the one who saved the worlds put her own heart at ease.

With tears still in her eyes, she looked out at the horizon with a new hope in her being.

"Hikari…" she said hopefully.

She looked at the moon and sent a silent prayer out to the young girl.

"_Please…please save us"_

/

_**Where they all wait for her**_

On the Destiny Islands Sora and Hikari sat at their favorite spot and watched the sunset. They read Mickey's letter that he sent them and knew that they had to save Terra, Aqua, Lumen and Ven.

Hikari held her pendant tightly. Even though she regained her memories recently, she would never forget about Lumen.

She still kept her promise even though she didn't realize it.

It was time that she saved this poor woman from her sadness.

As they were looking out at the ocean, they heard someone come by.

"Sora…Hikari…"

They both looked to see Riku approach them. It seemed he too was going to save those lost souls as well.

"Riku…" Hikari breathed.

Riku stopped when he approached them and looked at the sky.

"Your minds made up?" he asked them.

Sora smiled and nodded.

"Yeah"

Kairi came over and smiled at Sora.

"Sora…"

Sora blushed but went over to her. He felt bad that he would have to leave her again, but this was something he had to do.

"It's just…they really need us" he said.

"I have to go. I am who I am…because of them"

Kairi nodded and gave him her good luck charm.

"Then…I'll see you soon" she said.

Hikari smiled fondly at them then looked up at Riku. She had to save them too. It was thanks to them that she was able to be with Riku.

Even though Terra and Lumen never got their happy ending, their love survived and continued on through their successors. It blossomed and became stronger through time thanks to them.

She held Riku's hands and entwined her fingers within his.

"We need to save them" she said.

She smiled gently at him.

"They gave us our happy ending…now it's our turn to give them theirs"

Riku smiled gently then pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Hikari smiled brightly.

A new journey was about to begin!

**Reconnect! **

/

**A/N: And now we wrap this tale up. Even though Lumen is gone, she lives on through Hikari. It's up to her to bring her back and we all know she'll do it.**

**Even though we won't see Lumen for a while, we'll be seeing Hikari again very soon. I'm sure you guys miss her.**

**Her new journey begins in the epic tale known as 'Sorceress War'.**

**Thank you all so, so much for sticking to the end!**

**Ja ne!**


End file.
